Search icon

News

13th Jan 2018

WATCH: The terrifying moment when a false missile threat interrupted Spurs vs. Everton

Darragh Murphy

Citizens of Hawaii were forced to endure a terrifying few minutes on Saturday evening.

An emergency alert was delivered to Hawaiian citizens which warned that a missile was headed for the state and advised everybody to seek shelter.

Thankfully, it was confirmed as no more than a false alarm minutes later but not before panic set in, with some parents even attempting to guide their children to safety underground.

Clip via Nostalgia Blast

“Ballistic missile threat inbound to Hawaii. Seek immediate shelter. This is not a drill,” read the message, in all-caps.

The Honolulu Star-Advertiser claimed that emergency officials had accidentally sent the message out by text at 08:07 local time but announced that it was a false alarm via email 18 minutes later.

A text confirmed the error 38 minutes after the original one was sent.

Hawaii, which is the closest American state to North Korea, tested its nuclear warning siren last month, with increasing tension with the East Asian country’s leader Kim Jong-un, who has repeatedly threatened nuclear war against the USA.

Viewers of NBC’s coverage of Spurs’ Premier League game against Everton in Hawaii were alarmed by the message which appeared on their screens at half-time of the game.

An alert advised everyone to take shelter as the screen faded to blue under a piercing siren.

We could definitely have done without hearing what happens when missile threats are issued because it’s absolutely horrifying.

Clip via Nostalgia Blast

A CNN reporter has since updated that an error was made during a shift change:

LISTEN: You Must Be Jokin’ with Conor Sketches | Tiger Woods loves Ger Loughnane and cosplaying as Charles LeClerc