False tsunami warnings trigger confusion in Japan's Wakayama

False tsunami warnings were sent by local telecom operators to residents in Japan's Wakayama prefecture on the New Year's Day, triggering confusion among the holiday-celebrating residents.

Residents in the prefecture received an email message on their mobile phones from local telecom operators at about 2:08 p.m. local time, which said a big tsunami was spotted coming. It also warned the residents in coastal areas to take refuge in higher places.

A second message was sent at about 3:01 p.m., saying the tsunami was growing larger.

A chaos was caused by the warnings. Some of the residents had already started to evacuate before an email of correction was sent at 3:15 p.m., which showed that no tsunami had been spotted by the local meteorological observatory.

Wakayama prefecture started to use a system that could automatically deliver tsunami information to mobile phone users in the prefecture since last November by cooperating with local telecom operators.

The cause of the false tsunami warnings is still under investigation. Local media reported that it was possibly due to the system failure to distinguish between the changes in the sea level due to normal tides and those caused by a tsunami. Endit