False Sri Lanka tsunami posts misuse Vanuatu quake warnings
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The gist
Fact-checkers say viral Sri Lankan posts warning of a "tsunami threat with two earthquakes" are false.
The posts borrowed a cancelled Vanuatu tsunami alert, so check official agencies first.
Background
Sri Lanka's Department of Meteorology, its Disaster Management Centre (DMC, the country's disaster response agency) and the Geological Survey and Mines Bureau are the bodies that would issue any earthquake or tsunami warning for the island. In late October 2026, social media posts circulated warning of a "tsunami threat with two earthquakes" for Sri Lanka, saying "full details in the first comment" even though the comments contained none. Fact Crescendo, a fact-checking outlet, traced the posts to twin earthquakes near Vanuatu in the Pacific on October 24, 2026, and the tsunami warning issued and then cancelled there, shared without that context.
How it unfolded
- Oct 24, 2026Magnitude 7.2 and 6.9 shallow earthquakes struck the seas near Vanuatu, about 10 kilometers deep and west of Sola, per the USGS. The Vanuatu Meteorology and Geo-Hazards Department and the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued tsunami warnings for coasts within 300 kilometers of the epicenter and told people to move to higher ground.
- Oct 24, 2026The Vanuatu tsunami warnings were cancelled after no significant change in sea levels was recorded, with no deaths or serious damage reported so far.
- Oct 29, 2026Sri Lanka's Department of Meteorology Early Warning Centre issued an advisory on strong winds and rough seas valid for 24 hours; it was not a tsunami warning.
- recentlyFact Crescendo concluded the viral Sri Lankan posts were misleading, as neither the Department of Meteorology, the DMC nor the GSMB issued any earthquake or tsunami warning for Sri Lanka.
Who’s saying what
- Official
- Ajith Wijemannage, Director General of Sri Lanka's Department of Meteorology, said there was no earthquake or tsunami risk to Sri Lanka at that point.
- Official
- Pradeep Kodippili, media spokesperson for the DMC, said the viral posts were false and that Sri Lanka faced no such earthquake or tsunami risk.
- Analysts
- Fact Crescendo said the posts were misleading because no official body issued an earthquake or tsunami warning for Sri Lanka, and noted many posts written this way aim to push links to websites and collect likes, comments and views.
Still unverified
Social media posts claimed a "tsunami threat with two earthquakes" for Sri Lanka; Fact Crescendo found this false, with no official warning issued.