Alien warning sparks tsunami panic

Well, first there was a "bogus news alert" below, then ... today, at least 51 killed as quake jolts Merapi area, Indonesia. The aliens were just a little off, but something still happened.

Citizens of the North African country of Morocco have panicked at news that a tsunami was about to inundate them due to a comet impact in the Atlantic.

The bogus news alert was placed on the website of French UFO researcher Eric Julien. It said that a fragment could split off a passing comet and plunge into the ocean. The website predicted a tsunami could hit Africa on Thursday, May 25.

And what was Julien's source for information about the impending astronomical catastrophe? "I have received information psychically, which is corroborated by scientific data, according to which on May 25, 2006 a giant tsunami will occur in the Atlantic Ocean, brought about by the impact of a comet fragment," said Julien in a statement on his website. "Waves up to 200 m high will reach coastlines located above and below the Tropic of Cancer. However, all of the countries bordering the Atlantic will be affected."

However, the Moroccan Meteorological Office was quick to deny the rumor. The head of the Meteorological Office, Mustapha Janah, said that the comet will miss Earth by more than 10 million kilometres, which would exclude any chance of a tsunami in the Atlantic Ocean.

However, many Moroccans were left uneasy by the psychic alien warning. Some have reportedly packed to go to the mountains, while others have decided to take a trip to another country. - sploid