Jay Slater mystery: Search moves to caves close to ravine on remotest part of Tenerife

During his final call to his friend Lucy Law at 8am local time last Monday, the 19-year-old said his phone had only one per cent battery, he was thirsty and he did not know where he was.

His last location showed he was in the Rural de Teno Park - an area popular among hikers. He has not been seen since.

Today marks the twelfth day of searching for the teenager, with teams focusing on three different areas - the Masca Gorge, La Vica, and Las Portelas, as well as the surrounding Masca area.

Now, the search crews have turned their attention to a new area - a ravine with caves near Los Carrizales, The Independent has reported.

A Civil Guard spokesman said today: "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."

A source familiar with the operation said: "No one at the moment is talking about the search being brought to an end.

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

Police in Tenerife had previously honed in on specific buildings in the region to try and locate the missing teenager.

In the middle of the sparse bushland, with a terrain that has been described as "a complete nightmare", rescuers focused their search efforts on two small brick buildings where his phone last pinged.

TikTok amateur detectives have flown out to Tenerife to join in the hunt for the missing teenager. In clips posted online, the sleuths have described the "very difficult" terrain, which is covered with cacti, steep cliffs and has an unforgiving altitude.

Joe Cawley, a writer on Tenerife.com, told GB News that the terrain in the area could have proven an issue for the young boy.

Cawley explained: "Masca is one of the prettiest villages in Tenerife, but it's very remote. It's only accessible via an extreme switchback road.

"It clings to the side of the Teno mountains, which is a vast area scarred by lots of ravines and cliffs.

"It's full of cacti and fallen rocks. It's difficult for even the most adept hikers. But for someone like Jay who's not used to the area, it's got to be a nightmare. It is complete wilderness."

British Police in Lancashire are said to have made “an offer of support to the Guardia Civil to see if they need any additional resources” in their efforts to find the teenager.

However, the police in Tenerife have reportedly declined the offer and are continuing the efforts themselves.