Spanish police end search for British teenager in Tenerife

By Ana Cantero

MADRID (Reuters) – Spanish police said on Sunday they had called off the search for British teenager Jay Slater, who has been missing on the Canary Island of Tenerife since June 17, but the case was still open.

“The search operation is no longer active, but the case is still open and there are several lines of investigation,” a Guardia Civil spokeswoman told Reuters.

Slater, 19, was on holiday on the island when he disappeared. His phone was last located in the Masca Gorge in a remote national park in the north of the island.

Since then, dozens of police officers, rescue workers and firefighters have been searching for traces in the steep valley, using dogs, drones and a helicopter.

“The search lasted several days because it is a rocky area that is difficult to access,” the spokeswoman said.

Some volunteers joined police and other rescue workers to form a team of more than 30 people who combed the area on Saturday.

(Reporting by Ana Cantero, editing by Frances Kerry)