Jay Slater: Search teams scour ‘harsh terrain’ for missing Brit

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Search teams are scouring a patch of “harsh terrain” in a national park in Tenerife as they look for a missing British man.

Jay Slater, 19, from Oswaldtistle, Lancashire, flew to the island for a music festival, but has not been seen or heard from since Monday.

He had called his friend from a path on the mountainous Rural de Teno national park in the north-west of the island.

The search operation, which includes police, mountain rescue teams, firefighters and volunteers, has entered its third day.

Mr Slater was last heard from shortly before 09:00 BST on Monday when he called his friend, Lucy Law, saying he was lost, thirsty and had 1% battery on his phone.

The Guardia Civil, the island’s police force, told the BBC the search had temporarily moved to the Los Cristianos area in the south of the island on Wednesday due to a potential lead.

However that information was “discounted” and the search returned to the Rural de Teno area where it continues, a spokesperson said.

The force said a helicopter launch had been delayed due to the climate, but was likely to resume soon, while dogs were also joining the search.

Mr Slater’s mother, Debbie Duncan, has told the BBC her son was on his first holiday abroad with friends.

She flew to the island and joined the search, and said: “I’ve not slept at all, it’s like it’s not real.”

Apprentice bricklayer, Mr Slater had attended the three-day NRG music festival in Playa de las Americas in the south of the island.

He left with two men he met there and ended up in a house about 40 minutes drive away in a rural area.

Ms Law said he told her he had missed a bus, and was instead attempting the 10-hour walk home, but the call then ended,

Mr Slater’s last known location has been the site of intense searches involving dogs, drones and helicopters.

The area is full of vegetation and small, winding roads.

A statement from Volunteer Firefighters of Santiago del Teide described how it had joined the search effort.

It said: “We were activated to continue with the search for the young man moving four vehicles with 16 firefighters together with local police, firefighters from Guia de Isora, mountain civil guard, Guardia Civil unit of civil guard dogs, family and friends of the young man.”

A Facebook group set up by Mr Slater’s friends and family to help co-ordinate the search effort has attracted more than 350,000 members.

Ms Law posted in the group: “We need as many people as possible up there searching for him please.

“We will be up there again first thing, however a search party is going to be necessary to search everywhere as the area is very big.

“If you can help, please do, we need to get him home.”

British journalist Chris Elkington, editor of the Canarian Weekly, told the BBC the terrain at Mr Slater’s last known location was “harsh”.

He said: “It’s a rural park where you get a lot of hiking trails, it’s very mountainous, quite sparse, quite barren.

“Quite deserty in a lot of ways, with some very deep ravines and valleys.

“It’s certainly somewhere you would not want to be in normal conditions without the correct footwear, particularly without water.”