Chinese research institute apologises after sparking alarm with 7.7 quake alert

A ​Chinese research institute located ​in the southwestern ‌Chinese metropolis ​of Chengdu apologised on Monday for initially issuing a higher ‌magnitude earthquake than what other monitors said occurred, sparking some panic among people. China's Earthquake Networks Center said a ‌4.7 magnitude earthquake struck Yibin in southwest China's ‌Sichuan province at 8:26 a.m. (0026 GMT) on Monday. However, the Institute of Care-Life, a Chengdu-based disaster reduction laboratory, issued a 7.7 ⁠magnitude ​earthquake alert ⁠just five seconds after the quake struck. Addressing the significant discrepancy, ⁠it said that the network revised the estimate lower ​to 6.4 at the sixth second, 3.7 at ⁠the seventh second, 4.1 at the eighth second and ⁠3.9 ​at the 16th second.

The Institute of Care-Life said it will investigate the cause for the deviation ⁠as soon as possible to improve its services. The false ⁠alert caused ⁠panic among many users, state-backed newspaper the Global Times said.