Earthquake alarm mistakenly triggers panic in Mexico

Mexico City residents panicked on Monday after an earthquake alarm was mistakenly triggered. The shooting happened during a maintenance service on the mechanism.

Reuters witnesses heard the alarm in different parts of the city and saw residents leaving residential and office buildings, and even a hospital.

Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum announced on Twitter that the alarm had been activated, but there were no reports of an actual earthquake and the ground in the megalopolis never actually started to shake.

“Due to an error derived from maintenance work, the seismic alarm was accidentally activated in 851 locations in Mexico City. We apologize for the inconvenience and impact this incident has caused,” the Mexico City government said on Twitter minutes later.

Earthquakes frequently rock Mexico City, sometimes with deadly consequences, and the seismic alarm system usually gives residents a few precious seconds to get to a safe area before the tremor starts.

Source: CNN Brasil

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