Düsseldorf/Cologne (dpa/lnw) – A false report apparently spread on social media about an impending earthquake in North Rhine-Westphalia startled many people on Wednesday night. The police stations in Cologne and Hagen, among others, had received a particularly large number of concerned calls, said a spokesman for the state police control center in Duisburg. In Cologne, people ran out of the “Kölnberg” high-rise complex onto the street. The police and fire brigade calmed the residents down so that they returned to their apartments. According to their own statements, the police in Gelsenkirchen also received many calls.
Where the false report came from is still being determined, said the spokesman for the state control center. “Obviously this is an absolutely shameful hoax.” Against the background of the devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, people’s fears are being played with. Fake news spread like wildfire on social media. The WDR had previously reported.
