Two men were detained by police in northwest China's Gansu Province for making a rumor about quake that had caused panic among students in a local school.

From 2:12 a.m. to 2:30 a.m. on May 15, many girl students in a dormitory building at a traditional Chinese medicine school, in the provincial capital Lanzhou, received telephone calls of warning of an imminent quake in 10 minutes, said a spokesman of the provincial public security department.

The girls rushed outside in a panic, which caused a stampede on the stairs, but no one was hurt. More than 400 girls stayed on a sports ground till the school authorities pacified them and sent them back to their dormitory rooms.

The students said the calls were from a man who proclaimed be an employee of the Qilihe district government, an official of the city government, or a guard of the school.

According to police investigation, the calls were made by two men surnamed Liu and Luo respectively. They were employees of a property management company and felt bored that night when they were on duty.

The two men were currently put under custody. The case was under further investigation.

Editor: Yan