Larnaca, Cyprus. GCC, the company responsible for developing and operating Cyprus’ CyAlert emergency warning system, apologised on Wednesday after a technical failure disrupted alerts during Monday’s wildfire near Kalo Chorio.
The company said an unexpected technical error occurred while warning messages were being sent to the public during the fire.
Alert delivery disruption
Residents of Ayia Anna, who were evacuated as flames approached the village on Monday evening, said they did not receive text messages or received them too late.
Civil Defence said on Tuesday that the delay resulted from a technical error.
Company response
GCC said the problem occurred during the system’s first use in a real emergency. It said its technical teams responded immediately, resolved the issue and introduced additional measures intended to improve reliability and ensure uninterrupted operation during future emergencies.
The company apologised for the inconvenience and said it remained committed to supporting CyAlert’s timely distribution of emergency information to protect the public.
Questions over deployment
The malfunction drew scrutiny during the wildfire, which devastated large parts of the Ayia Anna area as it spread rapidly.
Asked why it highlighted the system’s first real-life emergency deployment, given that such systems would normally be expected to undergo simulations before becoming operational, GCC declined to comment.
