Indonesia's meteorological agency issued a statement Tuesday to quash panicked rumours spreading by text message that the capital was about to be hit by a massive earthquake.
The rumors cited a purported Japanese source warning of an 8.8-magnitude earthquake that would strike Jakarta on Tuesday and triggered a flurry of calls, agency official Jumadi told AFP.
"We have had to issue a denial and the head of the agency has also made a denial, saying that it is impossible to predict when an earthquake will strike," Jumadi said.
The rumors prompted many workers at office towers along the city's main business avenues to gather outside their building for fear of a quake hitting, the Detikcom online news service said.
Police were attempting to trace the source of the rumor, including the sender of the original text message, national police spokesman Paulus Purwoko told ElShinta radio.
The panic underlines how Indonesian nerves have been frayed by an earthquake-triggered tsunami that lashed the south coast of heavily-populated Java island last week, killing around 628 people.
Two tsunami warnings have been issued by radio in the archipelago nation following more quakes, including one that caused tall buildings in the capital to sway.
Indonesia, which sits on the "Pacific Ring of Fire" where continental plates meet causing frequent seismic and volcanic activity, was the nation worst hit by the December 2004 Asian tsunami.
Some 168,000 people were killed in Aceh province when a 9.3-magnitude quake unleashed massive walls of water that reached 11 Indian Ocean nations, killing a total of 220,000.
