British teenager missing in Tenerife 'cut off his leg and didn't know where he was'

A British teenager who went missing while on holiday in Tenerife had cut his leg on a cactus and had no idea where he was, a friend said.

Lucy Law said Jay Slater, 19, was “not a stupid boy” and would have hailed a car or spoken to passers-by.

Jay, from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, was last heard from on Monday morning telling a friend he planned to walk back to his accommodation after missing a bus, a journey expected to take around 11 hours on foot.

His mother, Debbie Duncan, flew to the Canary Islands, Spain, on Tuesday morning to join teams of mountain rescuers and local civil guards searching for him.

Ms Law told Sky News that Jay called her to say he didn't know where he was, needed a drink and had “cut his leg on a cactus”.

He managed to send her a photo of his location even though her cell phone battery had dropped to 1%.

“The strangest thing I find about this is that no one has seen it,” she told UK Tonight.

“And he's not a stupid boy – he's got common sense.

“I saw so many people here and I asked everyone if they had seen it – that’s what I find weird.

“If he had seen someone or a car he would have reported it – he would have said he needed a phone to contact someone.”

She added: “He would never let his family worry like that, he would never let our family worry like that.

“If he saw someone, the first thing he would do is say, 'I have to call my mother' – I know that for a fact. He would never let his mother worry like that.

“It’s just horrible – I’ve never been so worried in my life.

“Since then, I literally haven't slept at all.”

Ms Duncan said she feared her son, who is an apprentice bricklayer, had been “taken against his will”.

She told the PA news agency: “It's just traumatic and it doesn't feel real. It's just horrific.”

“I think he was taken against his will with what was said, but it's in the hands of the police. »

Speaking of her son, Mrs Duncan said: “He is a wonderful person who everyone wanted to be with. He's handsome, he's a popular guy. »

She added that the police who carried out the search had been “very efficient”.

Mr Slater was last seen wearing a white T-shirt with shorts and trainers.

A spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said: “We are supporting the family of a British man missing in Spain and are in contact with the local authorities. »