Sichuan reminds public to follow official sources after inaccurate earthquake alert

The Sichuan Earthquake Administration urged the public to rely on official warning channels after a local earthquake early warning research center issued an inaccurate alert that caused public concern on Monday.

A 4.7-magnitude earthquake struck Changning county in Yibin, Sichuan province, at 8:26 am at a depth of 5 kilometers, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center.

However, the Institute of Care-Life based in Chengdu, Sichuan province, issued warnings in the name of "China Earthquake Early Warning Network" through multiple channels — including Honor and Vivo smartphones and Xiaotiancai smartwatches — with the initial magnitude estimated at 7.7, according to an official statement released by the administration.

The administration said it had terminated its authorization for the institute's public warning services on July 22. The official China Earthquake Early Warning Network issued its own alert, estimating the magnitude at 5.4, it added.

The Institute of Care-Life apologized for the significant magnitude deviation.

The institute said its early warning network issued a series of alerts for the quake. The estimated magnitudes were 7.7 at the 5th second after the quake, 6.4 at the 6th second, 3.7 at the 7th second, 4.1 at the 8th second, and 3.9 at the 16th second. The magnitude reading automatically converged to 3.9 at the 17th second.

It acknowledged that while some deviation is inevitable in early warnings, the initial 7.7 reading was unusually large — the biggest in the 15-year history of its public warning service.

"We apologize for this relatively large deviation," the institute said, adding that it will quickly identify the cause and improve its services.