Spanish police have rejected an offer of support from Lancashire constabulary as the hunt for the missing British teenager Jay Slater in Tenerife continues.
Lancashire police said it had made “an offer of support to the Guardia Civil to see if they need any additional resources” in their efforts. The 19-year-old apprentice bricklayer from Oswaldtwistle was last heard from between 8am and 9am on Monday morning when he contacted a friend.
A Lancashire constabulary statement said: “Whilst this case falls outside the jurisdiction of UK policing, we have made an offer of support to the Guardia Civil to see if they need any additional resources.
“They have confirmed that at this time they are satisfied that they have the resources they need, but that offer remains open and they will contact us should that position change.”
Slater was last seen in the north-western mountain village of Masca. He disappeared after he had left the holiday cottage of some men he had gone back with after attending the NRG music festival in the south of the island.
The teenager had been attempting to walk back to his accommodation after missing a bus. The walk from Slater’s last known location to his accommodation would have taken about 11 hours.
On Friday, police, firefighters and search and rescue personnel combed a vast area in and around the village of Masca. Emergency workers met in various locations throughout the day, combing bushes, overgrown terrain, hillsides and rivers but failed to find the missing teenager.
On the fifth day of the hunt for Slater, search teams paid close attention to a river called Barranco Madre del Agua at the bottom of a ravine, where personnel carefully searched through fallen dead trees.
They later moved to other areas, focusing much of their resources in an area near Rural de Teno park.
Search and rescue looked through dead palm trees covering a river at the bottom of the hillside near to the Airbnb property he had reportedly been driven to.
The property owner, Ofelia Medina Hernandez, told reporters she saw Slater walk up the road past her property but did not see him again after that, describing the situation as worrying.
On Friday, a post on the Facebook page called Jay Slater Missing by the group’s administrator, Rachel Louise Hargon, said Slater’s family and friends were “drained beyond words”.
Lucy Law, who attended the NRG music festival with Slater, said he called her at about 8.30am on Monday and told her he was “lost in the mountains, he wasn’t aware of his surroundings, he desperately needed a drink and his phone was on 1%”.
Slater’s mother, Debbie Duncan, who flew to Tenerife on Tuesday, said searching for her son was “an absolute living nightmare”.
A fundraiser set up by Law to “get Jay Slater home” has received more than £24,900 in donations. Law has also called for British police to assist with the investigation and has been critical of local efforts.
A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spokesperson 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.”
Source: theguardian.com
