Georgian TV sparks panic with 'invasion' report

A television channel has sparked a brief panic in Georgia when it aired a fake newscast reporting that a Russian invasion was underway.The newscast on privately-owned Imedi television showed footage from the August 2008 Georgia-Russia war, reported that Russian tanks were headed for the capital Tbilisi and that Russian aircraft had bombed airports and ports. After the news bulletin, the channel announced that it had been false and aimed at exploring possible future events.Local media reported that the false newscast provoked widespread alarm and a record number of calls to emergency services.The Interpress news agency quoted emergency services as saying the report caused multiple incidents of heart attacks and fainting. It said hundreds of residents of Gori, the Georgian city worst hit by the 2008 war, fled their homes and rushed to local shops for emergency supplies.Mobile phone networks were also briefly overloaded and ceased functioning as word of the report spread.A spokeswoman for President Mikheil Saakashvili, Manana Manjgaladze, said in remarks shown on Imedi that the newscast should have been clearly marked as a simulation and that it did not meet journalistic standards.