Tourists heading to one of Spain's top holiday destinations have been warned over a "potentially scary" volcano emergency alert set to take place in the coming weeks.
The Canary Islands, a much-loved location among British tourists and a volcanic hotbed, has been hit by a wave of underground tremors in the past month.
Quakes were detected coming from Tenerife's Mount Teide last week at "unusually shallow depths", the Canarian Weekly reported.
The Spanish National Geographic Institute also registered quakes over a kilometre beneath the ground and at the surface.
Quakes were detected coming from Tenerife's Mount Teide last week at 'unusually shallow depths' (file photo)
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In an unprecedented move, authorities on the island of Tenerife have announced plans for a week-long drill this month to assess the risk of a volcano-induced emergency.
Residents on the largest of Spain's Canary Islands have been urged to leave their homes as part of the drill - and have been told to expect emergency alerts like those hitting Britain this weekend too.
Rosa Davila, the President of the Tenerife Island Council, has assured locals and tourists that the drill is not linked to the recent tremors and has been scheduled for some time.
Though Ms Davila added: "This is a brave decision calling for calm, because the risk is not going to disappear."
Rosa Davila, the President of the Tenerife Island Council, assured locals and tourists that the drill is not linked to the recent tremors
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The drill is part of the EU's Modex Civil Protection project, despite being organised by the Tenerife authorities.
The exercise will take place between September 22 and September 28, and will enable experts to assess the levels of risk posed by the island's volcanic activity and the emergency procedures needed to be in place.
Residents have been told to expect the emergency alerts to appear on their phones at 9am on September 26, which is when the volcano eruption simulation is set to commence.
Volcano drills have been carried out previously in other tourist hubs, such as Sicily and Hawaii, which provided local authorities with insights into risk levels and preparedness in the event of an eruption.
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Residents have been told to expect the emergency alerts to appear on their phones at 9am on September 26
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Ms Davila said that from September 22, a volcanic risk map of Tenerife will move from green to yellow to orange, before reaching the highest red level.
She also warned residents of the Muelle Viejo district to expect evacuations as part of the simulation.
She said: "We must not forget that we are volcanically active islands although we are not at all facing an imminent situation of volcanic emergency neither in the short nor in the medium term."
Lucca D'Auria, director of volcanic monitoring of Involcan - the Canary Islands' centre for volcanology, assured that the archipelago's recently recorded shakes "are not at all" suggestive of a volcano eruption.
However, Mr D'Auria added that he believes inhabitants of the islands too easily dismiss the dangers of living in a volcanically-active area and called for better information to given to residents.
Blanca Perez, the islands' Minister of Security, Emergencies and the Natural Environment, said: "Tenerife had to take a giant step in this area, which is why we have designed a map of logistical points of action and support and mobility structures have already been created for the areas that could potentially be affected by a possible volcanic eruption."
Over 1,000 people are expected to be mobilised as part of the exercise, including scientists and and Military Emergency Unit members.
International emergency services, such as the Red Cross, will also be involved in the upcoming drill.