UK tourists warned of imminent emergency alert in Canary Islands

Tourists visiting Gran Canaria have been warned of an island-wide alert set to be issued tomorrow. Anyone with a mobile phone could receive the alert as the government tests its emergency warning system.

The Canary Islands tourism board has warned people in Gran Canaria to “pay attention” and is urging the tourism industry to make sure visitors are aware of the alert. The exercise will be carried out on Thursday, September 26 between 10am and 12pm local time.

The test will take place in Gran Canaria, but the alert could be received by people in Tenerife and Fuerteventura. The Canary Island tourism board shared a post on X and said: “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.”

READ MORE: Foreign Office warns UK tourists of 'severe weather' in popular European region

It added: ”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. 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.”

The system, called ES-Alert, has previously been tested in the other Canary Islands of Fuerteventura, El Hierro, La Palma, Lanzarote and La Gomera. Most mobile phones with a data connection will have the ability to receive the civil protection alert, with devices operating Android version 11 or higher, or iOS version 15.6 or higher having the option activated by default.

Explaining how the alarm will work, The Canary Islands government said: “All 4G and 5G mobile