'Unlikely' missing Jay Slater will be found alive if he trekked into Tenerife mountains

Jay Slater is "unlikely" to be found alive if he got lost in Tenerife mountains, it has been reported. A major search is still ongoing for the 19-year-old apprentice bricklayer, who vanished last Monday on the Canary Island after attending a three-day rave.

Spanish cops have vowed not to give up their major operation, which has included a scan of remote terrain, with helicopters and sniffer dogs deployed, The Mirror reports.

Speaking on Day 11 of the search, a police spokesman said: "The Civil Guard is continuing to search for the young British man who disappeared, carrying out inspections of all the paths, trails and ravines belonging to the village of Masca within the municipality of Buenavista del Norte."

On Wednesday, the force released footage showing officers moving on foot in a mountainous area of the island.

A well-placed source told the Mirror: “No one at the moment is talking about the search being brought to an end, even though it’s very unlikely Jay has survived if he got lost in the mountains in the way we were told he did.

“There will be a point when the operation that’s taking place at the moment has to at least be scaled back but right now the search teams appear to have decided they want to give themselves more time."

Meanwhile, Jay's mum Debbie Duncan revealed today that some of the money donated via an online fundraiser would be plunged into the desperate mountain rescue search efforts. The Get Jay Slater home GoFundMe appeal has rocketed past its original £30,000 by more than £8,000.

In her own update on the page, heartbroken mother Debbie said: “We are currently working with GoFundMe to withdraw part of the funds, which are being safely held. I wanted to share that these funds will be used to support the mountain rescue teams who are tirelessly searching for Jay.

"Additionally, since our stay in Tenerife needs to be extended, we will also use the funds to cover accommodation and food expenses. I'm surrounded by wonderful people who are by my side, but far from their loved ones, so we'll also be using part of these funds to fly them to Tenerife so we can support each other during these dark times."

Police described the vast search area they are scouring as "immense". Cops have been combing through north of the Masca Gorge.

They said earlier this week: “Officers involved in the search are going over old ground in the gorge but teams are also looking at other areas such as forest trails and tracks in other parts of Buenavista del Norte.

“We’re talking about an immense area. We’re not going to go into every little new detail of the search or give a running commentary but everything possible is being done to find this missing man and we continue to keep an open mind with regards to what could have happened to him.”

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