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Search for missing British teenager Jay Slater in Tenerife

Search for missing British teenager Jay Slater in Tenerife

A search is ongoing for a British teenager who has been missing in Tenerife since Monday.

Jay Slater, 19, from Lancashire, had been on holiday on the Spanish island.

He had told a friend, Lucy, that he planned to walk back to his accommodation following a night out after missing a bus – a journey expected to take about 11 hours on foot.

During the call at about 8.15am on Monday, Mr Slater also said he was lost, in need of water and with only 1% of phone battery, Lucy told Manchester Evening News.

His phone then cut off, with his last location showing as the Rural de Teno park – a mountainous area popular with hikers.

Lucy said that one of the people Mr Slater had met on the night out had driven him back to their apartment in a hire car and the teenager had not realised how far away it was.

“He’s ended up out in the middle of nowhere. Jay was obviously thinking he would be able to get home from there,” she said.

“But then in the morning he’s set off walking, using his maps on his phone and ended up in the middle of mountains with nothing around.”

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Mr Slater was last seen wearing a white T-shirt with shorts and trainers. He was also believed to be carrying a black bag.

His mother, Debbie, flew to Tenerife on Tuesday morning.

“I’m obviously beside myself with worry which is why I’ve flown out here with my eldest son to do anything we can to help,” she told the Daily Mail.

She added: “It sounds as if the police here are taking this very seriously and doing the best job they can”.

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A Civil Guard spokeswoman in Tenerife said they were doing “everything possible” to find Mr Slater, including the deployment of a specialist mountain rescue team and a police helicopter “focusing on the area around the village of Masca”.

Other emergency services including firefighters were also involved in the search.

The Foreign Office said: “We are supporting the family of a British man who has been reported missing in Spain and are in contact with the local authorities.”