Spanish search and rescue teams have been combing the island of Tenerife for six days, searching for 19-year-old British teenager Jay Slater, who has been missing since Monday. The teams, including rescue dogs and firefighters, gathered again on Saturday at Rural de Teno Park, where they had been searching the day before. The search began after the administrator of an official Facebook page set up to help find Mr. Slater reported that someone had logged into his Instagram account who was not him.
The search efforts have been extensive, with helicopters, rescue dogs, and drones being used to scour the area. Mr. Slater was last heard from when he called his friend Lucy Law on Monday morning, telling her he was “lost in the mountains” and desperately needed a drink and his phone was on 1%. He had attended the NRG music festival on the island with two friends before his disappearance.
The police have been working closely with the Guardia Civil, the Spanish police force, to search for Mr. Slater. Lancashire Constabulary has made an offer of support to the Guardia Civil, but it has been rejected. The UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is also supporting Mr. Slater’s family.
Mr. Slater’s family and friends are said to be “drained beyond words” by the search efforts, which have been ongoing for six days. A GoFundMe page has been set up to raise money to help support Mr. Slater’s family and friends while they are in Tenerife. The page has raised over £26,000 to date.
According to the Lancashire Constabulary, Mr. Slater was last seen wearing a white T-shirt with shorts and trainers and carrying a black bag. He had been driven to an Airbnb property in the village of Masca, where he was seen walking up the road but not seen again after that.
The search for Mr. Slater has been extensive, with police and search teams covering a vast area of land in and around the village of Masca. Emergency workers have been searching through bushes, overgrown terrain, hillsides, and rivers, but so far, Mr. Slater has not been found.
In a statement, Lancashire Constabulary said, “Whilst this case falls outside the jurisdiction of UK policing, we have made an offer of support to the Guardia Civil to see if they need any additional resources. They have confirmed that at this time they are satisfied that they have the resources they need, but that offer remains open and they will contact us should that position change.”
The search for Mr. Slater continues, with police and search teams working around the clock to try and find the missing teenager.