Hacked US TV Channels report zombie apocalypse has begun

Two local TV stations in the US warned on Monday night that the dead had risen and were attacking the living. The zombie apocalypse hoax, reported by Great Falls Tribune in Montana and the Upper Michigan Source, seems to have been staged by persons unknown activating the emergency alert systems at Public TV 13 and CBS affiliate KRTV. As programming continued to run, a distorted voice declared that the corpses were coming to life and that viewers should not approach them, "because they are extremely dangerous".

How the Zombie Apocalypse appeared on KRTV3

In Great Falls, where scrolling messages also appeared over the programme, the police reported that they had received four calls "checking to see if it was true". Lt. Shane Sorenson with the Great Falls Police Department reported that, "there have been no sightings of dead bodies rising from the ground". Sorenson was unsure what sort of penalties a person would face for hacking the emergency alert system, if any. Concerns were also expressed on the KRTV3 Facebook page.

KRTV released a statement saying the "message did not originate for KRTV, and there is no emergency". In Michigan, the station manager of Public TV 13 said the Michigan Association of Broadcasters, NMU public safety and Michigan State Police were all aware of the hoax and investigating how it happened.

(djwm)