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Jay Slater

Search renewed for Jay Slater, missing British teen in Tenerife, as call made for volunteers

The 19 year old went missing on June 17.

A HUGE RENEWED search for missing British teenager Jay Slater is underway in Tenerife today as the operation enters its 13th day.

Spanish police have appealed for expert volunteers to assist with finding the 19-year old apprentice bricklayer.

Jay has been missing in Tenerife since June 17 when he disappeared after attempting to walk back to his accommodation after attending a music festival.

Yesterday, Spanish police asked for volunteer associations, such as firefighters and experts in rugged terrain to help with what they dubbed a “massive search” to take place today.

The search in the village of Masca, near to his last-known location, is being co-ordinated to take in a steep rocky area, including ravines, trails and paths.

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

He had reportedly been driven to an Airbnb property in Masca.

According to reports, media were told in a press conference on Saturday that two men who were reported to have rented the Airbnb are “not relevant” to the case.

On Friday, Jay’s friend Brad Hargreaves told ITV’s This Morning he had been on a video call with him before his disappearance when he heard him go off the road.

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

But, Hargreaves said he and his friend were both laughing at that point.

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

He told the programme he still had hope for Jay and was “praying” for him to come home.

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

Donations flooded in after GoFundMe appeal “Get Jay Slater home” was set up by Lucy Law, his friend and the last person to speak to him, and by Friday more than £40,000 had been raised.

Law said Jay told her in a frantic phone call before he went missing that he was “lost in the mountains, he wasn’t aware of his surroundings, he desperately needed a drink and his phone was on 1%”.

Search teams, co-ordinated by the Guardia Civil, have since mounted a huge manhunt using helicopters, drones and search dogs to scour mountainous areas of the island, but are yet to find the teenager.

Jay’s mother Debbie has described his disappearance and the wait for news as a “living nightmare”.

With reporting from Press Association.

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