The harsh conditions in Tenerife facing missing Jay Slater at the time of his disappearance

A travel blogger living in Tenerife has described the treacherous conditions facing Jay Slater as he joins the search for the missing teenager.

Helicopters, rescue dogs and drones have been used during the hunt for the 19-year-old British man, who last made known contact when he called his friend Lucy Law on Monday morning.

Mr Slater, from Oswaldtwistle in Lancashire, seemingly vanished as he tried to walk through the Masca Valley after a night out back to his accommodation.

open image in gallery

Andrew Knight, known on YouTube as the Knightrider, told The Independent of the climate in Tenerife: “It’s rugged mountainsides, loose rocks that fall away underfoot, cactuses everywhere. It’s a disorienting landscape and also has extreme weather changes.

“At night the temperature drops to around 12 degrees Celsius, but with the wind chill and the thin air at altitude, it feels around 10 degrees.

“In the sunshine, it can go up to 28 degrees. It also can be quite damp, it rained a little when I was there. It has its own microclimate that changes by the hour.”

open image in gallery

The blogger has offered free car rentals from his businesses for Brits and locals willing to join the search of the Masca Valley and Teno National Park.

He added: “There were reporters, local police and the Guardia Civil there, including sniffer dogs.

“Locals are concerned but they are also remaining positive, and very willing to help the search.

“Residents are offering lifts up to the remote location, and bars and restaurants are providing food and drinks to be taken up to rescue workers and volunteers.

“I am offering free cars, apartments and hotel rooms for family and friends who have come to help with the search.”

open image in gallery

On Friday, search and rescue personnel joined officers from the island’s Guardia Civil near the village of Masca, where they appeared to focus on a specific area of overgrown terrain.

Some officers used binoculars to survey the landscape before heading towards the bottom of the hillside.

Search teams paid close attention to a river called Barranco Madre del Agua at the bottom of a ravine, where personnel with sticks carefully searched through fallen dead palm trees.

On Thursday, a helicopter flew over Rural de Teno Park in the south of the island, as search teams followed various footpaths in the area.

Footage released by the Guardia Civil on Thursday showed the views from the 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.

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

The search area was quiet on Friday, with only a handful of police cars stationed at Rural de Teno Park.

Ms Law, who attended the NRG 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’s mother, Debbie Duncan, who flew to Tenerife on Tuesday, said searching for her son was “an absolute living nightmare”.

Ms Duncan told ITV News: “He’s the life and soul, he’s a beautiful boy.”

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

A fundraiser set up by Ms Law to “get Jay Slater home” has since received more than £23,500 in donations.

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.”