Emergency numbers and help in El Salvador

The numbers

• 911 is the single emergency number and reaches all services. Operators speak Spanish.
• POLITUR is the tourist police, present in the main visitor areas, and reachable through 911.

If you are detained

• Ask for your embassy immediately and keep asking. Under the state of exception, detention can last far longer than it would normally, with fewer safeguards, and the FCDO records that some embassies have struggled to obtain consular access.
• Carry your passport or a good copy, and the embassy's number saved offline.
• Do not argue at the roadside. Comply, and make the consular call the priority.

If something else goes wrong

• Contact your insurer immediately if you are referred for treatment - private hospitals may want confirmation of cover before they proceed.
• Report crime to the police and get the report for the insurance claim.
• Lost passport: report to the police, then your embassy in San Salvador.

Natural hazards

• Earthquakes and volcanic activity are real here. Hotels have drills and the advice is the standard one.
• Rip currents on the Pacific beaches take strong swimmers. Swim where others swim.