A false alert about a ballistic missile in Hawaii Saturday sent the state — and the internet — into a panic.
Authorities confirmed the alert was an error, and Hawaii’s Governor David Ige said he was meeting with authorities to determine what caused the alarm.
According to screenshots, the alert read, “BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL.”
Here are some of the screenshots and stories circulating on social media.
HAWAII – THIS IS A FALSE ALARM. THERE IS NO INCOMING MISSILE TO HAWAII. I HAVE CONFIRMED WITH OFFICIALS THERE IS NO INCOMING MISSILE. pic.twitter.com/DxfTXIDOQs
— Tulsi Gabbard (@TulsiGabbard) January 13, 2018
I’m in a parking lot in Waimea, Hawaii right now and everyone’s phones are buzzing with a warning about an incoming missile threat and “This is not a drill” language. Info? Anyone?
— David Wolman (@davidwolman) January 13, 2018
Horrific what people in – and loved ones of – those in #Hawaii would have had to go through mentally in the time it took for this alert to be confirmed as false pic.twitter.com/Mc94V9TTOP
— Mark Williams-Thomas (@mwilliamsthomas) January 13, 2018