Jay Slater search focuses on 2,000ft ravine near where missing Brit last phoned pals as police release chopper hunt vid
DESPERATE search crews hunting for missing Jay Slater are now focussing their efforts on a 2,000ft ravine in northern Tenerife.
Drones, helicopters and dogs have tirelessly scoured the island since Jay, 19, vanished on Monday but have so far failed to find any trace of him.
Jay’s last known location was the Teno Rural Park in the northwest of the island – a 10-hour walk from his accommodation.
He had been to the NRG festival closing night with two friends he was on holiday with before leaving the club with two men he had met that evening.
The next morning he left the remote property and called friend Lucy Law, telling her his phone was about to die and he was stranded in the middle of nowhere.
The Lancashire teen has not been seen or heard from since.
A mammoth search operation was launched on Monday, and Jay’s family and friends are becoming increasingly worried as the hours, and days, tick by.
Now, teams are combing the Masca ravine near a path in the mountainous terrain where he made a final frantic call to pal Lucy,
Investigators have been seen taking away bags of rubbish from the site but are continuing to draw a blank as they struggle to uncover any clues.
The Masca ravine is – according to guides for the island – some 3 miles long and 2,000ft deep, with the hiking trai l leading from the hills down to the sea.
Police briefly moved their search to the other side island on Wednesday after a reported sighting came in.
But the huge search operation shifted back near the village of Masca in northwestern Tenerife after the report turned out to be false.
New footage of the search shows choppers swooping across the area while firefighters, volunteers and cops on the ground search.
Jay’s family and friends in Tenerife are said to be “drained beyond words” as they struggle to find answers.
Rach Louise Harg, who has shared updates on the “Jay Slater Missing” group on Facebook, said: “There isn’t an update for anyone unfortunately.
“Struggling to find words at this time but all I can say is we are looking still and everyone is doing all they can!!
“We are drained beyond words I just can’t say no more I wish I could I wish this would end now this living nightmare SEARCHES are on going and we remain positive.”
As the hunt goes on for a fifth day, the two mystery men who Jay was last with have not broken their silence and are understood to have since left the island to return to the UK.
It comes as…
- Bombshell new vid shows Jay at a rave hours being he vanished
- Pics show Airbnb teen partied at before going missing
- Jay was spotted ‘walking alone’ by locals
- Jay’s mum was sent a message saying “kiss goodbye to your son” amid family fears he’s been kidnapped
- She gave a tearful plea and said “I just want my baby back”
- His family have endured days of bogus theories and sick messages from trolls
- Cops searched the teen’s hotel room in Tenerife for clues on Wednesday
It is unclear if the men spoke to police in Tenerife before leaving the island.
Haunting pictures have last night emerged of the Airbnb they took Jay to.
His final Snapchat picture was an out-of-focus image of a hand holding cigarettes in Buenavista del Norte, which sits within the park.
Pal Lucy revealed she had tracked down the house where Jay stayed – and was told he had left on Monday morning.
The two men said Jay went out for cigarettes before going back to the property and saying he wanted to go home.
It’s not known where he would have bought the cigarettes.
Lucy said: “We managed to find the house. I knocked on the door and there were two people there.
“They told me Jay had spoken to the next door neighbours and they’d told him there was a bus every 10 minutes back down to Los Cristianos.
“The bus stop was right next to the house. So obviously if he’d gone to get the bus he wouldn’t have got lost because it (the stop) was visible from the front door.”
According to locals, Jay was spotted “walking alone” before his disappearance.
Araceli works in the business next to the rental property Jay was believed to have stayed at before going missing.
She told The Mirror: “I never saw the missing boy, but I know people saw him walking on his own. I saw the two British men who stayed here.
“They came in for cafe con leche a couple of times. One was aged about 40. The other one was slightly younger.
“They arrived on Saturday and were due to stay until Monday, but they left on Tuesday.”
Lucy has called for the two men to be questioned by British police.
She previously described his disappearance as “suspicious”, and added: “There’s something weird going on.”
Members of Jay’s local community in Oswaldtwistle, near Blackburn, gathered at a church event for a “service of hope”.
Friends at the service described Jay as the “life and soul of the party” to Sky News.
Jay’s mum Debbie Duncan meanwhile issued a desperate emotional plea for her son’s safe return.
She fears the teen may have been kidnapped and has flown to the island as the search continues.
Breaking down in tears, she told ITN: “It’s just an absolute living nightmare. It’s like a dream – it’s like it’s not happening, it really is. I wouldn’t wish this on anybody.
“I just want my baby back. Please, just anybody who can help just look for him. There’s a massive area up there, massive.
“He’s out there somewhere, or somebody knows where he is. We just need to find my baby.”
She is among many of Jay’s family and friends who have flown out to the Canary island this week to help with the hunt.