Missile alert which caused panic on Hawaii ‘a mistake’

A push alert that warned of a ballistic missile heading straight for Hawaii and sent residents into a full-blown panic on Saturday was a mistake, state emergency officials have said.

In a conciliatory news conference, Hawaii officials apologised for the mistake and vowed to ensure it will never happen again.

Hawaii emergency management agency administrator Vern Miyagi said the error happened when someone hit the wrong button.

“We made a mistake,” said Mr Miyagi.

For nearly 40 minutes, it seemed like the world was about to end in Hawaii, an island paradise already jittery over the threat of nuclear-tipped missiles from North Korea.

The emergency alert, which was sent to mobile phones statewide just before 8.10am, giving the ominous warning: “BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL.”

On the H-3, a major highway north of Honolulu, vehicles sat empty after drivers left them to run to a nearby tunnel after the alert showed up, the Honolulu StarAdvertiser reported.

Workers at a golf club huddled in a kitchen fearing the worst.

Professional golfer Colt Knost, staying at Waikiki Beach during a PGA Tour event, said “everyone was panicking” in the lobby of his hotel.

“Everyone was running around like, ‘What do we do?”’ he said.

Cherese Carlson in Honolulu said: “I thought, ‘Oh my god, this is it. Something bad’s about to happen and I could die’.”