Video shows the horrifying moment when a false ballistic missile threat alert interrupted a soccer game on TV in Hawaii
- People in Hawaii woke up to a frightening emergency alert Saturday morning which warned of an impending missile targeting the state. It was a false alarm.
- The alert interrupted radio and TV stations across the state.
- Watch the harrowing moment when it disrupted a soccer game.
People in Hawaii were sent into a panic Saturday morning when they received the following emergency alert on their phones: "Ballistic missile threat inbound to Hawaii. Seek immediate shelter. This is not a drill."
State officials quickly retracted the warning and clarified that there was no threat to Hawaii. A second alert, which was sent out roughly 45 minutes after the initial one, said the alert had been a false alarm.
The first, erroneous warning was sent out by the Emergency Alert System (EAS), a government program designed to issue threat alerts to Americans during times of national emergency. It interrupted broadcasters on TV and radio as well.
A video posted on Twitter showed the moment the alert aired on TV during a soccer game. As the game unfolded, a red banner began moving across the top of the screen, followed by a long beep. A man's voice then read the emergency alert out loud and described what Hawaiians could do to seek safety.
"The US Pacific Command has detected a missile threat to Hawaii," the narrator warned. "A missile may impact on land or sea within minutes. This is not a drill."
The message went on to say, "If you are indoors, stay indoors. If you are outdoors, seek immediate shelter in a building."