27 June 2024 , 19:10
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Locals in Tenerife have warned that it could take months before any sign of Jay Slater is found.
Officers from Spain's Guardia Civil have spent over a week searching the area surrounding the last-known location of the apprentice bricklayer. He was last seen in a remote area close to the Mirador La Cruz de Hilda cafe, which was an epic 11-hour walk from the accommodation in the south of the island. Jay went missing last Monday after attending a three-day rave.
In addition to the crack squad of officers from Madrid, search parties of friends and family are also involved in the search. An army of internet sleuths and conspiracy theorists are also chipping in.
Speaking outside a cafe in Masca, locals told The Independent how similar disappearances have happened in the area before. One local woman, identified only by her first name, Anita, said: “We often have hikers go missing, every summer it is the same. Police come for a week and search and then they go – sometimes it can take months for a body to be found as the mountains are too difficult to search.
Members of a search and rescue team search near the last known location of Jay Slater, near to the village of Masca (PA)“People have said there was a sighting of him here, but no one knows anything – his family came here but there’s nothing to show he is here, as far as I know, no shop or cafe has seen him.”
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It has been reported that Jay is "unlikely" to be found alive if he got lost in the treacherous Tenerife mountains.
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."
Sniffer dogs involved in the rescue effort (Stan Kujawa)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.