SkyAlert App Triggers False Alarm in Mexico City Over Earthquake
A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck the eastern Mexican state of Veracruz on Tuesday, causing panic but otherwise resulted in no harm, according to CBC News.
But many residents in Mexico City, more than 250 miles from Veracruz, were made to panic on Monday when they got an alert on their mobile devices that told them an earthquake was going to happen within seconds.
BBC reported that after receiving the message from SkyAlert, many in Mexico City -- which is prone to earthquakes -- evacuated their buildings. But an earthquake didn't immediately follow. There was no word on whether the Mexico City mix up was related to the later Veracruz quake.
SkyAlert claims that it uses a satellite system that can warn people of an impending earthquake up to a minute in advance. The false alert went out at 12:16 p.m. local time. The company said it would investigate how the warning went out.
The mayor of Mexico City, Miguel Angel Mancera, tweeted that the earthquake alert had been sent by "an unofficial app" and said that federal seismologists had not recorded any earthquake on Monday.
Intially, SkyAlert attempted to point fingers at CIRES, the official seismic alert system, which denied responsibility. The app maker later backtracked and said that it had "misinterpreted a message it had received from CIRES" and that the company would work "to continue to improve our system."
People in Mexico City are still sensitive when it comes to earthquakes because of a magnitude 8.1 quake that hit the city and killed around 10,000 people.
Many Mexicans responded to the mishap with jokes, taking to Twitter to say things like "go home, you're clearly drunk" and "I demand that SkyAlert deliver the quake it promised or give me back my tranquility."
The Veracruz earthquake on Tuesday was worrisome because Veracruz is home to a vital nuclear power plant and several important petroleum facilities. State officials said there was no damage to any of the property.
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