~ Le Viêt Nam, aujourd'hui. ~
The Vietnam News

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False alarm of tsunami sends thousands fleeing central Vietnam city

HANOI - A false alarm over an approaching tsunami led thousands of people to flee their homes for higher ground in Vietnam's central city of Danang, officials said Sunday. Local authorities broadcast a warning of a big wave approaching the coast at noon Saturday through the city's public loudspeaker system.

"The people were so scared of the devastation of tsunamis that many of them ran away to higher places," said Duong Thanh Thuy, chairman of the People's Committee of Lien Chieu district. He estimated that thousands joined the exodus, and state media also reported thousands of people fleeing. A local border guard said misinformation caused the evacuation.

"We received news from the local flood and storm prevention committee of a big range of waves, suspected to be a tsunami, 80 kilometres off the coast," said Le Tien Hung, deputy chief of staff of Danang city's border guard. "We then informed fishermen at sea to be on high alert, not the people on land." A witness called by AFP said he stayed away for two hours after the alert.

"We were very scared after hearing the official announcement of the local people's committee," he said. "We only came back home after the radio news said everything was OK." State media said last week that Vietnam was considering setting up a tsunami warning system. Vietnam was not hit by the December 26, 2004 tsunamis, which killed more than 215,000 people around the Indian Ocean. The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation ( UNESCO) has said a regional tsunami warning system will be operational by July 2006.

Agence France Presse - July 10, 2005.