A ballistic missile alert in Hawaii was a mistake by an emergency system worker.
An employee at Hawaii’s Emergency Management Agency (EMA) who “pushed the wrong button” during procedures that occur during the handover of a shift.
Mobile phone users received the message at 08:07 (18:07 GMT): “Ballistic missile threat inbound to Hawaii. Seek immediate shelter. This is not a drill.”
This triggered a lot of panic. Some raced to a protective bathtub or tried hiding under manholes. For others, a resigned acceptance, thinking that staring at the beauty of Hawaii was not a bad way to go.
Hassan Deen, a student at Hawaii Pacific University, told the BBC the alert sparked a frenzy and he was locked for 47 minutes with 29 other students in a room with rubbish bins.
How many false alarm babies are we getting in Hawaii in 9 months?
— Mark Espinosa (@MarkEEspinosa) January 14, 2018
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