Firefighter in missing Jay Slater case reveals 'strange' element of disappearance

A firefighter involved in the search for missing 19 year-old Jay Slater has described the circumstances of his disappearance as 'increasingly strange'. Search teams have been combing through mountainous terrain in an attempt to locate the missing Brit.

Emergency services, including the Civil Guard, mountain rescue teams and fire crews, have been scouring a 30-kilometre area of Tenerife. Jay was last seen walking alone on the morning of Monday, June 17.

He had contacted his friend Lucy Mae to inform her that he was lost in a rural area and his phone battery was down to just one per cent. His phone later sent a signal from an open area about half a mile north of the Masca village.

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Firefighter Riccardo, a member of the Brigada Forestal, spoke about the difficulties of searching the 'dangerous' area amid the ongoing efforts to find Jay. He said: "It's very difficult to find people here, because of the ravines and the mountains.", reports Birmingham Live.

"I've read about the case and the missing boy on the internet... but as the days pass by, it's increasingly strange that he hasn't appeared yet. The information we have is that Jay [and his friends] were going to a music festival, and afterwards, the last sign of him was around here in the Teno Rural Park."

"I don't know if he was walking, hiking.. I just don't know. That's where I lose the thread."

He added: "It's so strange."

Search teams have been tirelessly scouring the area around Parque Rural de Teno nature reserve, as reported by Manchester Evening News, in the hunt for Jay who went missing there.

The extensive search has expanded to include a ravine situated roughly 100 metres below the holiday home where Jay was last seen, and stretches across the rugged terrain between Masca and Las Portelas. Civil Defence officers coordinating the operation from their base have described the challenging landscape, which is divided into three distinct ravines, covering an expanse of about 30km.

Efforts have intensified across three key locations - the Masca Gorge, La Vica, and Las Portelas - with the wider Masca region also being meticulously searched for any signs of Jay. A Civil Defence officer involved in the search expressed their determination, saying: "We still have hope that he's alive, up until the last moment when the last hope is lost."

The same officer shared the team's sentiments of frustration due to the difficulty of the task at hand, stating: "The truth is that we feel a bit frustrated because we can't find him. It's so big [here] that it's very difficult to search in such a steep area. But we're doing everything we can."