Huge search operation launched in Tenerife to find Jay Slater after call for volunteers

A new search for missing teenager Jay Slater is set to begin in Tenerife on Saturday after Spanish police called in volunteer experts to help.

The 19-year-old, from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, went missing after trying to walk home on June 17.

On Friday, the Guardia Civil issued a call to volunteer associations, such as firefighters, and individual volunteers with expertise in rugged terrain to participate in a “busqueda masiva,” or massive search, which will take place on Saturday.

Spanish police said the search, which would begin at 9am in the village of Masca, near his last known location, would be coordinated to encompass a steep, rocky area including ravines, trails and paths.

This marks the 13th day in the search for the Apprentice Mason.

Mr Slater attended the NRG music festival on the island with two friends before his disappearance and his last known location was Teno Rural Park in the north of the island, about an 11-hour walk from his accommodation.

Mr Slater's friend Brad Hargreaves told ITV's This Morning on Friday that he was on a video call with him before his disappearance when he heard him leave the road.

He said: “He was on the phone, walking down a road and he had overtaken a bit – not a big fall – but a very small fall and he was going down, and he said 'I'll call you back, I'll call you back' because I think someone else was calling him. »

He confirmed that he could see his friend's feet “sliding” down the hill and could hear him walking on gravel.

But Mr Hargreaves said he and his friend were both laughing at the time.

He added: “He didn’t seem worried on the phone until we knew how far away he was. »

He told the programme he still had hope for Mr Slater and was “praying” he would come home.

Earlier this week, his mother Debbie Duncan, who visited the island after his disappearance, said money raised online would be used to support mountain rescue teams and to cover her own travel costs. accommodation and food.

Donations poured in after the GoFundMe appeal 'Bring Jay Slater Home' was launched by Lucy Law, his friend and the last person to speak to him, and by Friday more than £40,000 had been raised.

In an update on Thursday, Ms Duncan said: “We are currently working with GoFundMe to withdraw a portion of the funds, which are being held securely.

“I wanted to share that these funds will go towards supporting the mountain rescue teams who are tirelessly searching for Jay.

“In addition, as our stay in Tenerife is to be extended, we will also use the funds to cover accommodation and food costs. »

Ms Law said Mr Slater told her in a frantic phone call before he disappeared that he was “lost in the mountains, unaware of his surroundings, desperate for a drink and his phone was on 1%”.

Search teams, coordinated by the Guardia Civil, have since launched a massive manhunt using helicopters, drones and search dogs to scour the mountainous areas of the island, but have not not yet found the teenager.

Ms Duncan described her son's disappearance and the wait for information as a “living nightmare”.