Spanish police have rejected an offer of help from Lancashire Police as the search continues for British teenager Jay Slater, who went missing from Tenerife.
Lancashire Police said they had offered support to security forces to “consider whether additional resources are required” for the police operation. The 19-year-old apprentice bricklayer, from Oswaldtwistle, was last in contact with a friend between 8am and 9am on Monday.
Lancashire Police said in a statement: “This incident is outside the jurisdiction of UK police forces but we have offered to assist UK security forces to determine whether additional resources are required.”
“They have confirmed that they are happy that they have the necessary resources in place at this time, but are still accepting offers and will be in touch with us if their situation changes.”
Slater was last seen in the northwestern town of Masuka, after leaving the villa of a group of men he had been staying with after attending the NRG music festival in the south of the island.
The boy was attempting to walk back to his accommodation after missing his bus – it is believed it took him around 11 hours to walk from Slater’s last known location to his accommodation.
Police, firefighters and search and rescue workers combed the vast area in and around Maska village on Friday. Rescue workers met at various locations throughout the day, combing through thick brush, grassy areas, hillsides and rivers, but were unable to find the missing boy.
On the fifth day of the search for Slater, searchers focused their efforts on a river at the bottom of the canyon called the Barranco Madre del Agua, carefully searching among fallen and dead trees.
They have since moved on to other areas, concentrating many of their resources in the area near Rural de Teno Park.
Search and rescue teams searched through dead palm trees shaded by a river at the bottom of a hill near the Airbnb accommodation where he was reportedly taken in a car.
Landowner Ofelia Medina Hernandez told reporters she saw Slater walking past her property but hasn’t seen him since, and said she was concerned about the situation.
On Friday, the group’s administrator, Rachel Louise Hargon, posted on a Facebook page called “Jay Slater Missing,” saying Slater’s family and friends were “shocked beyond words.”
Lucy Lo, who was attending the NRG Music Festival with Slater, said he called her at about 8:30 a.m. on Monday and said he was “lost in the mountains, didn’t know what was going on around him and desperately needed a drink, but his phone had 1 percent battery left.”
Mr Slater’s mother, Debbie Duncan, who flew to Tenerife on Tuesday, said searching for her son had been “an absolute nightmare”.
A fundraiser set up by Law to “Bring Jay Slater Home” has raised more than £24,900. Law has also called on British police to help with the investigation, and has criticised local efforts.
A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spokesman said: “We are supporting the family of a British man who is missing in Spain and are in contact with local authorities.”
