Spanish authorities are searching for a 19-year-old British man who went missing during a holiday in Tenerife. Jay Slater, from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, was last heard from on Monday morning after telling a friend he planned to walk back to his accommodation, a journey expected to take about 11 hours on foot.
Slater had attended the NRG music festival with his friend Lucy, who told the Manchester Evening News that he had gone to stay with people he met after a night out. At around 8.15am on Monday, Slater called Lucy saying he had missed the bus and was trying to walk back, but was lost, needed water, and had only 1% battery on his phone.
The call cut off, with his last location showing in the Rural de Teno park, a mountainous area popular with hikers. Lucy said one of the people Slater had met drove them back to his apartment, and Slater did not realise how far away it was, ending up in the middle of mountains with nothing around.
Slater was last seen wearing a white T-shirt, shorts, and trainers, and carrying a black bag. His mother, Debbie, flew to Tenerife on Tuesday and told the Daily Mail she was beside herself with worry, praying the police or someone finds him. She noted that mountain rescue and a helicopter were deployed.
A Civil Guard spokesperson confirmed that a specialist mountain rescue group (Greim) and a police helicopter were searching the area around Masca, with firefighters also mobilised. The Foreign Office said it is supporting the family and is in contact with local authorities.
