Jay Slater: What it’s really like in the village of Tenerife, where a teenager has disappeared

Tucked away in the mountainous terrain of northwest Tenerife lies the charming village of Masca.

This small hamlet, home to about 90 inhabitants, offers stunning views of the surrounding peaks and the North Atlantic Ocean. Getting to it is no easy task – it is off the beaten track and accessible only by a single winding and steep road that skirts the edges of towering cliffs.

Despite its appeal and charm, search teams looking for missing British teenager Jay Slater have labeled the area “dangerous”.

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Lancashire-born Jay, on his first trip abroad without his parents, is believed to have traveled more than 30km from the south of the island on the night of June 16 after attending the NRG music rave.

Reports suggest Jay returned to an Airbnb rental with two men she met at the event. He reportedly left his holiday the following morning, Monday, June 17, and ventured into the mountains alone, reports the Manchester Evening News.

Since then, there has been no sign or word of him, with intensive search efforts now entering their second week. Despite a possible CCTV sighting, which his family believe could be him, there have been no confirmed sightings amid the ongoing investigation.

The journey from Los Cristianos, the southern resort where Jay was staying with friends, to Masca takes about 60 minutes. He is believed to have returned to the village after a night of partying.

Masca, located in the Rural Park of Teno, has several cafes and bars nearby. There is a bus station with infrequent service and the locals are not fluent in English.

On the fifth day of the search, the owner of the Airbnb rental told reporters that Jay had asked about the village bus schedule before seeing him “going off by himself” up into the mountains. However, there are limited trails – only a well-paved road leads in and out of the area, winding around the massive peaks. While hikers and thrill seekers attempt to climb mountains, they usually have experience.

If Jay went downhill, he would be in the heart of Masca village in just fifteen minutes.

Jay is said to have left the lodge on foot around 8am. Despite its remoteness, the area is still a tourist hotspot; those with car rentals and regular tour buses make the trip to the site several times a day.

By 10am, the few small parking lots are completely full – with tourists taking selfies with the dramatic scenery, looking for parking spaces and stopping for lunch at one of the few cafes in the area.

The road, which is said to have been the route taken by the missing man, has concrete barriers along its length to prevent vehicles from skidding.

Construction workers are also present at a nearby construction site, with temporary traffic lights in operation. This level of activity has led Jay’s family to wonder how he could have disappeared on the morning of June 17 without anyone noticing.

His distraught father Warren said: “Whether you were drunk or whatever, you don’t get off that road up there. And there are people up there… you don’t go down that road for more than 20 years. minutes without anyone stopping you or passing you by.

“I knew right from the moment we got up there that he wasn’t going to leave (that way). He is not stupid. When I saw the police, I asked them, seriously, “would you get off that road?” and I think it woke him up a little bit. People who go out to a party don’t come here.

Jay’s mum Debbie previously told the Daily Mail: ‘If he’s lost then why hasn’t anyone seen him? It’s busy with hikers and tourists up there, so if he got lost then someone would have seen him.”

The search for the missing Jay, which continues to focus on an area of ​​30 km and three main ravines in the Rural Park of Teno, entered its second week yesterday, June 24. The Civil Guard, mountain rescue teams and fire crews continue their efforts in a desperate attempt to find him.

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