Phuket not sinking

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BANGKOK, April 23 (UPI) -- The resort island of Phuket will not sink into the sea, says Thailand's Environmental Geology Bureau, which blames real estate speculators for the false claim.

The rumor that Phuket will sink into the Andaman Sea Saturday was squashed Monday by the director of the bureau, the Bangkok Post reported.

"Phuket island is on a large granite rock mass foundation, which is as deep as 27 kilometers [16.8 miles] below the ground surface. Whether a big earthquake or an atomic bomb occurs, it will definitely not sink," Lertsin Raksasakulwong said.

The rumor claiming Phuket would sink after an earthquake is believed to have been started by people trying to lower property values on the resort island for the sake of investment opportunities, Lertsin said.