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Tenerife volcanic emergency drill

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2026-10-23 04:13 UTC → 2026-10-24 07:23 UTC · added ~~removed~~

Authorities in Tenerife conducted the VOLCANEX Tenerife 2026 exercise on Thursday, October 22, 2026. Organized by the Cabildo de Tenerife, the drill was designed to test the ES-Alert system—which sends direct notifications to smartphones—and to evaluate local response capacities following scientific reports of a magma pocket located approximately ten kilometers beneath Pico Viejo. Described as one of Europe’s largest volcanic emergency response simulations, the exercise took place across the municipalities of Guía de Isora, Santiago del Teide, and Adeje. It involved over 1,500 participants from approximately 70 organizations, including the Spanish Army (UME), Civil Guard, Red Cross, and various local police forces. The simulation specifically modeled a volcanic eruption in the Abeque area, triggering an orange alert level. The exercise ran between 07:00 and 14:00 and utilized 33 drones. Key components of the drill included testing command chains, drone deployment, and coordination between emergency services and the tourism sector. Simulated evacuation scenarios involved approximately 300 residents, a hotel, and a senior citizens' center. On the morning of the exercise, mobile phones across Tenerife received ES-Alert notifications around 09:17. These messages were marked with the word ‘PRUEBA’ (TEST) to indicate the simulated orange volcanic risk level. While the drill proceeded, some users reported not receiving the alert; officials from 112 Canarias noted that reception depends on technical factors such as device power status, network coverage, or emergency alert settings. Although seismic activity has decreased in recent months, experts noted the island has shown signs of volcanic reactivation over the last decade.

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