Officials in Hawaii mistakenly warn of incoming missile

Emergency management officials say a push alert that warned of an incoming ballistic missile to Hawaii today was a mistake.

The emergency alert sent to mobile phones said in all caps: "Ballistic missile threat inbound to Hawaii. Seek immediate shelter. This is not a drill."

Hawaii accidentally sent out a message warning of a missile attack. This is what people saw. The Emergency Administrator tells me this is a false alarm. He's trying to find out why it happened. #Hawaii #missile pic.twitter.com/8F2Zyotw24

— Sara Sidner (@sarasidnerCNN) January 13, 2018

Hawaii Emergency Management Agency spokesman Richard Repoza said it was a false alarm.

He says the agency is trying to determine what happened.

The alert stirred panic for residents on the island and across social media.

How did it take more than 30 minutes to correct this 😡 #Hawaii pic.twitter.com/iUyS1xoEdx

— jjj (@vanillawaferz94) January 13, 2018

This Emergency Alert just came to all our phones in Hawaii. No other info coming out and hotel has no shelter. Really hoping it’s a false alarm, but if not - send your best vibes this way. #emergencyalert #hawaii pic.twitter.com/JNvIxjQA5p

— Cori Zarek (@corizarek) January 13, 2018

People were running and in tears...wow. That was a scary 20 minutes. #hawaii #falsealarm

— Julia Morales (@JuliaMorales) January 13, 2018

- AP and Digital desk