Search for missing teenager in Tenerife enters second week

The search for a British teenager who went missing while on holiday in Tenerife has entered its second week.

Jay Slater, from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, went missing after trying to walk home after missing a bus.

The apprentice bricklayer (19) had attended the NRG music festival on the island with two friends before his disappearance and was last heard from on Monday last week.

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

A fundraiser organized by the last person to speak to Mr Slater reached its £30,000 target on Sunday.

The GoFundMe set up by Lucy Law to “bring Jay Slater home” had received £33,000 in donations as of Monday morning.

A post on Mr Slater's mother Debbie Duncan's page confirmed the fundraiser had been “approved by our family”.

The message, posted on Sunday, said: “We have not yet withdrawn any funds and are currently covering expenses ourselves, such as travel to Tenerife and accommodation.

“Funds will remain on hold with GoFundMe until we post a new update on this page.

“We are extremely concerned and are doing everything we can to find Jay.”

A GoFundMe spokesperson said: “We are in contact with Jay Slater's mother, Debbie, and are working with her to keep everyone informed about how their donations will be used in research.

“For now, the money is at GoFundMe as we work on the next steps.”

Ms Law said her friend told her in a frantic phone call at 8.30am last Monday that he was “lost in the mountains, that he was not aware of his surroundings, that he had desperately needed a drink and his phone was on 1 percent mode.

Search teams in Tenerife focused their efforts this weekend on small buildings close to where his phone last rang.

On Sunday, Canary Islands Guardia Civil officers could be seen surrounding two structures at the bottom of a ravine in the Teno Rural Park.

Efforts appeared to be focused only on a single area after days of searching Masca village and the surrounding landscape.

The efforts come after the teen's mother made a direct appeal to her missing son, saying, “We just need you at home.” »

Debbie Duncan said she has “not slept” since the 19-year-old disappeared.

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