Panic buying of candles has swept parts of Sichuan Province following a online rumor predicting the sun won't shine and electricity will stop functioning for three days beginning December 21.
Many worried residents of Shuangliu and Longchang counties in Neijing, Sichuan Province bought candles at wholesale markets on Tuesday, prompting the wholesalers to quickly replenish their inventories, reported the West China City Daily
"The candles sold by the hundreds on Tuesday, with buyers constantly coming to the market. Many stores have run out," Huang Zhaoli, a resident who was shopping at the market was quoted as saying by the newspaper.
The rumor posted on Sina Weibo said that the Mayan-calendar doomsday scenario, which suggests the world will end on December 21, is wrong. The Weibo rumor said a new era will begin on Christmas day following three days of total darkness.
A 23-year-old Neijing resident surnamed Zhou told the Global Times on Thursday that her aunt had bought many candles and matches several days ago believing the world will soon be plunged into darkness, adding that the rumor began to circulate two months ago.
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