Fireman says Jay Slater search in Tenerife 'increasingly strange' amid tough conditions

A firefighter involved in the search for Jay Slater in Tenerife has described the situation as "increasingly strange".

The search for the missing 19-year-old from Lancashire entered its seventh day today. Emergency service workers on the Canary island have been working tirelessly to try and locate the teenager.

Jay was last seen by the owner of an Airbnb in the north-west of Tenerife, when he was asking about bus schedules to return to the south of the island at around 8am. He later messaged his friend Lucy Law, who he was on holiday with, to say that he was attempting to walk back which was a trek of about 10 hours and his phone battery was about to die.

Rescue teams have been deployed around Masca village, navigating the challenging landscape filled with mountains and deep gorges, compounded by severe weather conditions.

Ricardo, a fireman from the Brigada Forestal, has spoken out about the difficulties faced during such searches.

He told the Manchester Evening News: "It's very difficult to find people here, because of the ravines and the mountains.

"I've seen the case and about the missing boy on the internet... but the days are now passing by and 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."

As he took in the mountainous view, he added: "It's so strange."

On Friday, local police announced their primary search areas are in and around the Parque Rural de Teno nature reserve which is where Jay disappeared from. Specific locations of interest include a ravine situated roughly 100 metres under the holiday home where Jay was last seen, along with mountainous terrain between Masca and Las Portelas.

A member of the Guardia Civil previously stated: "We still have hope that he's alive, up until the last moment when the last hope is lost. 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."

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