(Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Communications Commission said on Saturday it was launching a full investigation into a false emergency alert that said a ballistic missile was headed for Hawaii, the chairman of the commission said.
The alerts to Hawaii cellphone users were issued at about 8:07 a.m. local time (1807 GMT), saying "ballistic missile threat inbound" and urging residents to seek shelter immediately. The message also appeared on Hawaii television stations, according to news reports. The alert was officially cancelled about 38 minutes later.