The governor of Hawaii, David Ige, has apologised for a false alert that warned a ballistic missile was heading straight for the island. Speaking in Honolulu, he expressed deep regret for the "unacceptable" situation.

DAVID IGE HAWAII GOVERNOR "Today is a day that most of us will never forget. A day when many in our community thought that our worst nightmare might actually be happening. I know first-hand that what happened today was totally unacceptable. And many in our community was deeply affected by this and I'm sorry for that pain and confusion that anyone might have experienced."

The administrator of Hawaii's Emergency Management Agency, confirmed the error happened when someone pushed the wrong button. The administrator promised that this error would never happen again. The governor also instructed the Emergency Management Agency, to hold off on any more tests of the alarm system, until the situation was examined and sorted. He stressed his authorities were doing "everything, immediately", to ensure this false alarm never happens again.