Jay Slater search team reveal 'three key areas' in Tenerife hunt

A member of the search and rescue team has revealed that the hunt for missing Jay Slater is focusing on three specific areas. The search conditions are challenging due to the mountainous terrain and extreme weather - but the operation has been narrowed down.

For a seventh day, officers have been tirelessly searching in the north west of Tenerife for the 19 year old who hasn't been heard from since last Monday morning.

Throughout the week, the operation has zeroed in on three distinct areas of Parque Rural de Teno nature reserve near an Airbnb where Jay was last seen as he tried to make his way back to the south of Tenerife, where he was holidaying.

Read more: Jay's mum makes five-word plea

Jay had attended an NRG music event and left by car with two men, spending the night at an Airbnb in Masca. The owner of the property was the last person to see him when he asked about the next bus departure.

Search and rescue workers, equipped with hard hats and other specialist mountain gear, have been concentrating their efforts on the Masca Gorge, La Vica, and Las Portelas, as well as the surrounding Masca area, reports the Mirror.

A search and rescue worker has spoken to the Mirror about the ongoing efforts to find a missing hiker, saying: "We are concentrating our search in three ravines, over an area of at least 30 square kilometres. We still have hope that he's alive - up until the last moment when the last hope is lost. We've been up and down but, until now, nothing. We haven't found anything. This morning we concentrated on searching from down below up Masca, along the path until it almost reaches the ravine, at the high part, without finding anything."

"Now the second part has been this path that goes up and almost reaches Las Portelas (hills), the high part of Las Portelas trail and nothing was found either. We've been to the ravine to see where he supposedly took his last selfie and downward from there."

The worker expressed frustration, adding: "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."

He also mentioned the deployment of additional resources: "We're waiting this afternoon for the drone units to come one more time to do a flight over the area, and the search dogs again too. It's a very difficult area to search. Just because it's so steep."