“I’ve lived in Tenerife for 10 years – the place where Jay Slater disappeared is treacherous and dangerous…it would be easy to get lost”

A car rental owner and blogger who moved to Tenerife from the UK 10 years ago says the “treacherous” area where teenager Jay Slater disappeared is a “huge area” where it’s “easy to get lost”.

Andrew Knight, 29, selflessly donated a number of vehicles from his company Sanasty Car Hire to help with the ongoing search after Jay, 19, from Lancashire, went missing on Monday ( June 17).

Emergency workers, including the Civil Guard, mountain rescue team and fire crews, are still searching a 30km area, focusing on three main ravines, in the hope of finding the British teenager, who has not been heard from since it is said about him. to have called her friend Lucy on Monday morning.

READ MORE ‘We just need you home’: Heartbroken mum of teenager Jay Slater goes straight to her missing son

It is believed his phone was later “pinged” in an open area half a mile north of Masca village at around 8.50am.

Andrew, 29, who has lived on the Spanish island for a decade after traveling abroad for the first time during a gap year, described Masca and the surrounding Rural de Teno reserve as “treacherous and dangerous “. He told him Manchester Evening News that it would be “easy to get lost” for inexperienced hikers.

“The landscape of Masca is treacherous and dangerous; steep cliffs, loose rocks, cacti everywhere and big ravines,” he said. “It is extremely difficult to find someone in the landscape.

“It’s a huge area, most of it is hard to walk or climb. It would be easy to get lost. Many mountains look the same, all the hiking trails lead into each other, and it’s hard to navigate when finish one and start another if you are inexperienced.

“The police are working tirelessly alongside volunteers, the Guardia Civil and the rescue teams. I chose to help because a mother is missing her son; family and friends are distraught.

“I knew I could bring exposure and attention through my social media channels and when I saw that people were struggling to get to the area I decided to offer them some of the rental cars I have for free as getting to Masca is not easy and is 50 minutes from the main tourist area of ​​Tenerife South.”

Andrew previously described the air in the mountains as “very thin”, with weather conditions that are “constantly changing”.

“It gets very cold at night, especially with the thin air and the wind chill. It would be quite cold if you were up there without jumpers and jackets and stuff,” he said.

“I think the response has been very positive and will continue as well. It’s not just going to go away or stop, they’re going to keep sharing and keep sharing until they have some information or answers or until he’s found.”

On Saturday (June 22), the sixth day of the effort, officers gathered again in the Rural Park of Teno in the northwest of the island. It was another day without major progress.