A member of the team frantically searching for missing Brit Jay Slater has revealed three key areas of focus as fears for the teen’s safety escalate.
The 19-year-old disappeared in Tenerife last Monday, mobilising search teams across the mountainous terrain – notoriously rocky and susceptible to extreme weather conditions.
A member of the search party explained that the mission to find him was being concentrated in three main areas and there is still hope that he will be found alive, though they have not found anything yet.
They told the Mirror: “We are concentrating our search in three ravines, over an area of at least 30 square kilometres. We still have hope that he’s alive – up until the last moment when the last hope is lost.
“We’ve been up and down but, until now, nothing. We haven’t found anything. This morning we concentrated on searching from down below up Masca, along the path until it almost reaches the ravine, at the high part, without finding anything.”
Jay was holidaying in the south of Tenerife with friends but made the journey northwest on Sunday to go to an NRG music event.
He left the event on Monday morning with two men before staying the night in an Airbnb in Masca. He asked the owner of the property about the next bus back to his hotel and has not been seen since.
So far, rescue workers have been focussing their attention on three areas of the Parque Rural de Teno nature reserve by the Airbnb and its surrounding areas – Masca Gorge, La Vica, and Las Portelas.
The search and rescue worker added: “Now the second part has been this path that goes up and almost reaches Las Portelas, the high part of Las Portelas trail and nothing was found either. We’ve been to the ravine to see where he supposedly took his last selfie and downward from there.
“The truth is that we feel a bit frustrated because we can’t find him. It’s so big here that it’s very difficult to search in such a steep area. But we’re doing everything we can.
“We’re waiting this afternoon for the drone units to come one more time to do a flight over the area, and the search dogs again too. It’s a very difficult area to search. Just because it’s so steep.”
A GoFundMe campaign was set up recently to “bring Jay Slater home” and has already raised over £31,000. Jay’s mum Debbie Duncan has revealed that the family has not used any of the money and has been covering expenses themselves.
She wrote online: “We have not yet withdrawn any funds and are currently covering the expenses, such as the trip to Tenerife and accommodation, ourselves. The funds will remain on hold with GoFundMe until we post a further update on this page.”
Lucy Law, Jay’s friend and the last person to speak to him, set up the fundraiser. She said she called him at around 8.30 am last Monday after the pair went to the music event together.
He told her he was “lost in the mountains, he wasn’t aware of his surroundings, he desperately needed a drink, and his phone was on one percent”.
Debbie also told PA: “We’re not [coping]. I’m not coping very well at all. I’ve not slept, I’m exhausted. It’s been awful. I can’t give up on him, I just can’t.”