Thousands of people queued outside a branch of the People's Bank of China in Beihai, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, on Tuesday morning on the strength of a rumor that they could apply for "interest-free loans".

Police officers were sent to maintain order and persuade them to leave.

Most were from Shandong province and Chongqing municipality and may have been victims of pyramid schemes.

The bank issued a statement on Tuesday, saying that it is not authorized to issue loans to individuals.

A 40-year-old migrant worker from Yunnan province said: "I heard people can get a loan from the bank without paying any interest. So I came here."

A manager at the bank said that more than 10,000 people handed in the application forms.

"Although we explained that they could not get loans, they insisted in submitting applications," the manager told China News Service.