Jay Slater: Tenerife police call for volunteers to join large-scale search for missing British teenager | UK News

Lina Portman2 days ago

0 5 minutes read

Authorities said the search will take place on Saturday in the village of Masca, and volunteers will be asked to contact police by 8pm tonight if they wish to join.

Friday, June 28, 2024 3:14 PM, United Kingdom

Tenerife police have appealed for volunteers to take part in a large-scale search for missing British teenager Jay Slater.

Authorities said the event would take place on Saturday in the village of Masca on the Spanish island.

Call for Volunteers for Jay Slater Search

In a statement, police said: “The Civil Guard is preparing and coordinating a large-scale search to find the young British man who went missing in the village of Masca.

“The collaboration of all these volunteer associations is requested: civil protection, firefighters, etc., and even private volunteers who are experts in steep research terrain.

“The massive searches will be carried out on Saturday June 29 from 9 a.m.

“Taking into account that it is a steep, rocky area, full of slopes and with a multitude of ravines, paths and roads, the collaboration of all volunteer associations that can help in this raid that claims to be carried out in a directed and coordinated manner is requested,” the statement said.

Police said volunteers should call the Guardia Civil on 696434031 before 8pm this evening if they wish to join the search.

THE aged 19from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, went missing after trying to walk home after missing a bus.

The apprentice mason had attended the NRG music festival on the island with two friends before his disappearance and was last heard from on Monday last week.

Police search for Jay Slater in mountains

The walk from Mr Slater's last known location, Teno Rural Park in the north of the island, to his accommodation would have taken around 11 hours.

Meanwhile, one of Mr Slater's friends spoke to ITV's This Morning about his last video call with the 19-year-old.

Brad, a close friend of Mr Slater, said he had when asked by the reporter if he had seen the missing teenager's feet sliding on rocks. He said that was how he knew Mr Slater was not on a road and described the sound as like walking on gravel or stones.

Brad added that Mr Slater lost a “little drop” during one of his last video calls.

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He said the missing teen was not worried and they were both “laughing” about the situation.

“He said 'look where I am.' He didn't seem concerned on the phone until we knew how far away he was,” Brad said.

“I said, 'Give your location.' He said, 'Fifteen minutes' drive, fourteen hours' walk.' I don't know if that's correct or not, so I told him, 'It's not is only a 15 minute drive.”, take a taxi.”

New research could be the final step

Shingi Mararike, Sky News correspondent, in Tenerife

Almost from the moment we arrived today to cover the search for Jay Slater in this vast national park on the outskirts of Tenerife, things seemed different.

The police presence was reduced, with fewer vehicles and officers. Officers appeared to have stopped searching the caves and ravines they had targeted earlier this week.

Instead, the small team of officers headed toward some of the neighboring hamlets along the winding, narrow road, before turning around and returning to the observation point near where the Jay's phone was reportedly last located.

There they stopped for a lively discussion. As they headed out into parts of the barren, rural landscape, it was clear they were coordinating and planning.

Then, a few minutes later, the Civil Guard gave news. The next day, at 9 a.m., they would redouble their efforts to find Jay, working with other emergency services and even calling on volunteers experienced in difficult terrain.

This landscape presents an obvious challenge, but another problem for those looking for tomorrow will be how active the Masca region is.

It's a compact town full of hikers and tourists, very busy in the morning.

The research team will have to overcome all these obstacles to try to retrace the teenager's last known steps and find clues as to what may have happened to him.

Tomorrow marks day 13 of the search for Jay Slater and it may be a final effort by the Civil Guard to make progress.

Even with more resources and manpower, it will be an exhausting day for everyone involved.

Today's police statement comes as Mr Slater's family welcomed the help of a TikTok creator among those leading an online search for the missing teenager.

News from the sky spoke to Paul Arnott earlier this weekwho shared clips of his own research on TikTok and said he came to Tenerife when he heard the family “needed help.”

According to The Daily TelegraphHis efforts attracted the interest of Mr Slater's family, who contacted him and arranged a meeting on Thursday.

“They said they were really proud of what I do,” Mr Arnott, 29, told the newspaper.

Mr Slater's mother, Debbie Duncan, told the newspaper she had “every confidence” in the police and singled out Mr Arnott, who runs the TikTok account Down the Rapids and describes himself as an “explorer”, and another TikTok creator, Callum Rahim, for thanks.

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“[I] I can’t thank Paul Arnott enough, as well as Callum Rahim and his friends for working alongside the search and rescue teams,” she said.

“Myself, well, you know the state of my mental health and paranoia, you've seen it with your own eyes. As a family, we are living a nightmare. »

Social media has also had a dark side for the family, with Ms Duncan and her son's friends at the centre of conspiracy theories.

THE construction company which employs Mr Slater He shared a post on Facebook earlier Thursday, urging people to stop sending them “cruel” emails and to stop posting theories online.

Also Thursday, Mrs. Duncan said £36,000 was raised More than 3,200 donations will help cover his accommodation and food costs during his extended stay on the island as well as support rescue teams.