China's cybersecurity police have disclosed 10 typical cases involving online rumors related to the mudslide that hit the Gyirong Port in Southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, with authorities taking legal action against people who fabricated false disaster information, exaggerated casualty figures and misled the public, in a bid to safeguard the orderly conduct of rescue and relief operations.

The cases, released by the cybersecurity departments of public security authorities on Monday, largely involved the fabrication or dissemination of false information concerning the number of people killed or missing in the disaster.

In one case, the cybersecurity police in Qamdo, Xizang region, found that an internet user surnamed Qiu had speculated without evidence and posted a rumor on an online platform claiming that "the news says 1,400 people were killed, but actually 3,000 people had already gone missing." The local police subsequently imposed an administrative penalty on Qiu.

Another similar case involved a netizen surnamed Liu who posted that "more than 3,000 people have died on the Chinese side." The statement was false, and Liu was subject to an administrative penalty.

Beyond deliberately inflating casualty figures, some individuals fabricated claims about the number of people swept away or missing at the disaster site, creating a distorted picture of the scale of the disaster.

For example, a netizen surnamed Zhang posted that "more than 1,000 people were swept away". Zhang further claimed that there were hundreds of workers and construction workers at the site, together with tourists and people crossing the border, and that the actual number of people affected "must have exceeded 1,000." Police found the information to be untrue and imposed an administrative penalty on Zhang.

The cybersecurity police stressed that the rapid spread of unverified casualty figures and fabricated disaster information can mislead the public, generate unnecessary panic and disrupt rescue and relief efforts.

The rumor-mongering can result not only in detention and fines, but also criminal penalties in more serious cases.

Under Article 29 of China's public security administrative penalty law, deliberately spreading rumors or fabricating information about disasters to disrupt public order can result in up to 10 days of detention and a fine of up to 1,000 yuan ($148.66). More serious cases may constitute a criminal offense. Under the Criminal Law, those who fabricate or knowingly spread false disaster information that seriously disrupts social order can face up to three years in prison, while cases causing serious consequences can result in three to seven years in prison.