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Canadian officials accidentally push nuke alert to millions

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An emergency alert issued by the Canadian province of Ontario reporting an unspecified “incident” at a nuclear plant is shown on a smartphone Sunday, Jan. 12, 2020. Ontario Power Generation later sent a message saying the alert “was sent in error.” The initial message said the incident had occurred at the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station, though it added there had been no abnormal release of radioactivity from the station. (AP Photo/Robert Gillies)

People throughout the Canadian  province of Ontario awoke to an emergency alert warning of an “incident” at a nuclear plant near Toronto — only to be told later that the message was a mistake.

The initial warning popped up Sunday on cellphone screens and television screens throughout the province of 14 million. It said an unspecified event had occurred at the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station.

It added that there had been no abnormal release of radioactivity.

Some people planned evacuations, according to the Associated Press.

More than an hour later came another message saying the first alert had been an error.