Beijing - Military exercises caused earthquake panic to break out in central China when detonations made the ground shake, the official Xinhua news agency said Saturday.

About 100,000 people fled onto the streets Wednesday in the cities of Hengyang, Zhuzhou and Chenzhou in Hunan province as news about the possible earthquake was spread over mobile phones and the internet.

Thousands slept outdoors out of fear of a quake despite repeated assurances from government authorities that no quake had occurred.

"I received at least 200 phone calls that night," Hou Lianwen, a village official in the outlying country of Anren, told Xinhua. "Everyone asked whether there had been a quake."

Hou said that the windows of his own house shook.

"Many villagers moved their beds out on the streets, but no houses collapsed in the village," he said.

People had become more wary of earthquakes since the May quake in the south-western province of Sichuan, which killed more than 80,000 people, other officials said.

No details were given about Wednesday's manoeuvres by an air force brigade in Hengyang. (dpa)