Gran Canaria issues 'island-wide' emergency alert and warns UK tourists

The European Union holiday hotspot says an island-wide emergency alert will be issued on Thursday, with anyone with a mobile phone potentially receiving the notification as part of the test.

Gran Canaria has issued an "emergency alert" warning to all UK tourists who have phones. The European Union holiday hotspot says an island-wide emergency alert will be issued on Thursday, with anyone with a mobile phone potentially receiving the notification as part of the test.

The drill will take place on Thursday, September 26, from 10am to midday local time. The Canary Island tourism board cautioned: "Pay attention if you are in Gran Canaria. Take note to inform your clients. On September 26, a test of the ES-ALERT system for emergencies will be carried out."

It further explained: "Between 10:00 and 12:00, all mobile phones in the area will receive an alert. By pressing ACCEPT, the alert will stop ringing. The notification will appear in English if the mobile phone's language is not Spanish.

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"The notice could also be received by: Vessels that are close to the island's coastline, on the east coast of Tenerife and on the south of Fuerteventura."

It said: "All 4G and 5G mobile terminals within the coverage area will receive a text message with the word "TEST" accompanied by a beep and vibration that, once read and after pressing the word "Accept", will disappear. There is no need to respond or call 112."

Tourism officials have issued this prior warning to avoid panic, ensuring the public, especially tourists, are well-prepared and know that the drill is simply a test of the island’s Es-Alert emergency notification system.

This exercise is part of broader efforts to improve emergency preparedness and coordination on the island, ensuring that the local and tourist populations can be quickly informed in the event of a real emergency situation.

A loud alert will appear on the screen of every phone, and the sound will stop once the user presses "ACCEPT." If the phone’s language is set to something other than Spanish, the notification will automatically appear in English.