New 'massive search' for missing Jay Slater

A major new search is under way in Tenerife for the missing British teenager Jay Slater.

Members of the public and tourists with strong walking and climbing experience have been asked to help local police and rescue organisations comb through the tough terrain where Jay disappeared almost two weeks ago.

ITV Granada Reports reporter Josh Stokes has been following the latest developments.

The search in the village of Masca, near Mr Slater’s last-known location, took place in a steep rocky area Credit: James Manning/PA

In their first press conference since Jay's disappearance 13 days ago, the Guardia Civil told reporters in Masca that they plan to send search teams into the ravine where his phone last pinged.

They said they believe this location remains their best lead and told the media that the police have spoken to the two men that were in the AirBnB with Jay before he left, and they do not believe they are relevant to the investigation.

Jay Slater contacted his friend Lucy Law shortly before he disappeared Credit: Family photo

Speaking to ITV Granada Reports, a close family friend said they 'hope that this search brings us something' and added they were 'extremely thankful for everyone who's out searching'.

Brigadier Cipriano Martin, chief of the Guardia Civil’s mountain rescue team, said Mr Slater would not have travelled to “any area we don’t go to”.

He said: “There are difficult areas and we’ve given instructions for people not to risk their own safety.

“But there’s something we need to make clear, which is any area we don’t go to, well, Jay won’t have gone there either.

“You have to think about it logically – if I see there’s vegetation in front of me and I’m going to get spiked, and I can’t get through, then he won’t have gone through that area either.

“We have to be logical, obviously.”

A group of search and rescue workers near to the village of Masca during the hunt for the 19-year-old Credit: James Manning/PA

Asked if the sea can be reached directly from the search area, he said: “You can reach the sea, in fact last Saturday I went along the whole path – there are old paths which are only occasionally used because it’s a cliff with very little attraction for sporting purposes.

“But you can reach the beach along them, so I reached the beach.

“We didn’t find anything. It’s a path that goes above and not along the bottom of the cliff, it has drops, and what’s needed are ropes to get down and we also know he was not equipped for that.

“There are rocky drops that you cannot get beyond, you can only get down with a harness and ropes – the people searching that spot today will have to turn around I think, because they don’t have the necessary equipment, and anyway the best that Jay could do was simply to walk.”

Paul Arnott is a mountaineering expert from the UK who has travelled to Tenerife to join the search.

He said he has been speaking to Jay's family, who are supporting him in his efforts. He told ITV Granada Reports: 'They've been amazing'.