Police in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality said on Wednesday two local residents had been detained for spreading quake rumors.
The two, one surnamed Jin from Yuzhong District of Chongqing Municipality and the other surnamed Tang from Wuxi County in Chongqing, were detained on Tuesday for three days, the Chongqing Public Security Bureau said at a news briefing.
Jin posted on Monday an allegedly true picture of a department store building on an Internet forum and claimed its top collapsed. Police found the collapse was simply Jin's speculation.
Jin was ordered to clarify the truth on the Internet and apologize to netizens.
Tang also released a picture about an escape scene of many residents in Sichuan at an Internet forum on Tuesday. But police found residents in Tang's picture were welcoming the Olympic flame in Chengdu, provincial capital of Sichuan.
A 7.8 magnitude earthquake rocked Wenchuan County of Sichuan on Monday afternoon. As of Wednesday afternoon, the death toll in Sichuan had exceeded 14,000.
Liu Kun, an official with the Chongqing Public Security Bureau, said citizens should support the disaster relief work rather than create and spread rumors.
(Xinhua News Agency May 14, 2008)