Firefighters scour hillsides for missing British teenager Jay Slater in Tenerife

Firefighters appeared to conduct the majority of the searches on the sixth day of the hunt for British teenager Jay Slater as they wore helmets to tackle dangerous hillside terrain in Tenerife.

Rescue teams, alongside sniffer dogs, set off on a steep gravel track at Rural de Teno Park on the south of the island on Saturday morning.

The search parties seemed noticeably smaller compared to other days – with only a handful of emergency workers visible in the village of Masca and the surrounding areas.

Mr Slater’s mother Debbie Duncan told the Manchester Evening news that police had “stepped up” their search efforts.

She told the newspaper: “We’ve been there (the police station) all day today (Friday), and I think it’s been stepped up.

“We’ve had a problem with the language barrier. It’s difficult with all the Spanish police and British police; they have to let the Spanish police do the investigation.

“They (the police) have actually said that there’s too much noise – that’s affecting it.

“They’ve got all the plans, their locations.

“They have got this map they were showing us, all shaded in different colours.”

The 19-year-old disappeared following an attempt to walk back to his accommodation after missing a bus.

He had attended the NRG music festival on the island with two friends before his disappearance.

The festival issued a statement in which it said it was able to “give some practical support” to Mr Slater’s family.

The statement read: “That such a devastating situation has arisen has deeply affected us all.

“We have been able to give some practical support to the members of Jay’s family who have come to Tenerife in such difficult circumstances, and we are inspired by their resilience and determination.”

The sixth day of searches began after the administrator of an official Facebook page set up to help find Mr Slater said somebody had logged into his Instagram account who was not him.

Rachel Louise Harg said a GoFundMe page, which has raised more than £27,000, will go towards family and friends staying in Tenerife while the hunt continues.

Ms Harg said people who had been “hacking” the social media accounts of Mr Slater’s family were “sick in the head”.

Lancashire Constabulary said it had made “an offer of support to the Guardia Civil to see if they need any additional resources” which was rejected by Spanish authorities.

Mr Slater is from the Lancashire town of Oswaldtwistle, where specialist officers are continuing to support his family, the force said.

Police, firefighters and search and rescue personnel combed a vast area of land in and around the village of Masca on Friday.

On Saturday, the main search areas appeared largely quiet, but firefighters attempted to search in the more difficult hillside terrain near Masca.

Helicopters, rescue dogs and drones have been used in an effort to find the teenager, who was last heard from when he called his friend Lucy Law on Monday morning.

Officers have since been seen peering over the hillside and staring intently at the landscape through binoculars near to his last known location close to the village of Masca.

The walk from Mr Slater’s last known location to his accommodation would have taken about 11 hours on foot.

Footage released by the Guardia Civil on Thursday showed the views from a helicopter as it scoured the hillside.

The video, posted to the force’s X account, showed officers searching in bushes and overgrown terrain with dogs.

Ms Law, who attended the music festival with Mr Slater, said he called her at about 8.30am on Monday and told her he was “lost in the mountains, he wasn’t aware of his surroundings, he desperately needed a drink and his phone was on 1%”.

Mr Slater was last seen wearing a white T-shirt with shorts and trainers and with a black bag.

A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spokesman said: “We are supporting the family of a British man who has been reported missing in Spain and are in contact with the local authorities.”