Tsunami warning siren goes off accidentally in Indonesia, causing panic

(AP)
BANDA ACEH, Indonesia
A tsunami warning siren went off accidentally in Indonesia's Aceh province on Monday, causing residents to flee their homes and run to higher ground, officials said.

Authorities were investigating why the siren rang out for about 30 minutes in the provincial capital, Banda Aceh, much of which was destroyed in the 2004 tsunami disaster.

"We would like to apologize for causing the panic. The siren went off by itself," said Suhardjono, a scientist from the Geophysical and Meteorological Agency, which maintains the warning system.

"One explanation could be it was triggered by a short circuit," said Suhardjono, who goes by a single name.

Several thousand people living near the siren in Keju district ran from their homes, and many roads in the capital were clogged with people driving inland on motorbikes and cars, police and witnesses said.

Police urged people over loudspeakers to return home, a witness told el-Shinta radio.

The 2004 tsunami killed some 230,000 people in 12 nations, almost half of them in Aceh.

The country is establishing a nationwide tsunami warning system with foreign funds, but not all of its coastline is covered.