The UK foreign office ahs announced the launch of a new text-alert service for overseas travelers, aimed at warming them of any crisis situation in destinations to help them reach safety.

The service, which is being launched in association with Vodafone, will offer free text message to Vodafone customers in foreign locations where there is crisis like a natural disaster or a civil unrest. The alerts are only meant for travelers traveling outside of the UK.

Foreign Office Minister Jeremy Browne said, "The recent consular crises in Libya and Japan have demonstrated the need to deliver live travel safety messages to as many people as quickly as possible".

The new alert service will run along with the existing Twitter and Facebook service. The trial will run with Vodafone for a year and if it is successful the service will be expanded to other networks as well.

Mr. Browne further said that the initiative shows commitment of the Foreign Office to further better the consular services for the people. He claimed that the office will soon be able to send text messages to all the affected UK nationals, who are registered in the crisis database.