Tucked away in the mountainous terrain of northwest Tenerife, you'll find the charming village of Masca. This tiny hamlet, home to just 90 residents, offers breathtaking views of the surrounding peaks and the North Atlantic Ocean.
Reaching it is no easy feat - there's only one winding, steep road that runs perilously close to the edges of towering cliffs. But despite its allure, search teams looking for missing British teen Jay Slater have labelled the area as "dangerous". Jay, a Lancashire lad on his first solo trip abroad, is believed to have journeyed over 30km from the island's south on June 16, after attending the NRG music rave. Reports suggest that Jay returned to an Airbnb rental with two men he'd met at the event.
He reportedly left the holiday let the next morning, Monday, June 17, and ventured alone into the mountains.
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Since then, there's been no sign or sound of him, with extensive search efforts now entering their second exhausting week. Despite potential CCTV footage, which his family think could be him, there have been no confirmed sightings amid the ongoing missing persons investigation.
The journey from Los Cristianos, where Jay was holidaying with mates, to Masca takes about an hour. It's believed he returned to the village after a night of revelry. Masca, located in Rural de Teno Park, boasts a few cafes and bars. There's a bus stop with sporadic services, and the locals aren't fluent English speakers, reports the Manchester Evening News.
On the fifth day of the search, the owner of the Airbnb rental said Jay had enquired about the bus schedule out of the village before she saw him "walking off alone", uphill into the mountains.However, there are scant footpaths - just one well-paved road leads in and out of the area, winding around the massive peaks. Adventurous hikers do try to climb the mountains - but not without experience.
If Jay had walked downhill, he would've reached the heart of Masca village in just fifteen minutes. Jay is reported to have left the cottage on foot around 8am. Despite its remoteness, the area is a hit with tourists; those with car rentals dare to drive up to the site, as regular tour buses also shuttle visitors there and back several times a day.
The small car parks are chock-a-block as early as 10am - with tourists snapping selfies against the dramatic backdrop, scrambling for parking spaces, and pausing for lunch at one of the few local cafes.
He reportedly trudged uphill on a road flanked by concrete barriers designed to prevent vehicles from careening over the edge. Amidst ongoing search efforts, reporters have noted a steady stream of traffic and pedestrians in the area, both during morning hours and early evening.
Nearby, construction workers are busy at a site adjacent to the holiday rental, with temporary traffic lights currently operational. The bustling nature of the area has led Jay's family to question how he could have vanished on the morning of June 17 without being spotted.
His devastated father Warren expressed his confusion, saying: "No matter if you were drunk or whatever, you don't go off that road up there. And there are people up there... you don't go along that road for more than 20 minutes without somebody stopping you or passing you.
"I knew right from when I went up there that he wouldn't have gone [off that road]. He isn't stupid. When I saw the police I asked them, seriously, 'would you go off that road?' and I think it woke them up a bit. People that go out to a party don't come up here."
Meanwhile, his heartbroken mother Debbie told the Daily Mail: "If he is lost then why hasn't anyone seen him? It's busy with hikers and holidaymakers up there so if he was lost then someone would have seen him."
The search for missing Jay, which is continuing to focus on a 30km area and three main ravines in the Rural de Teno Park, entered its second week on Monday (June 24). The Civil Guard, mountain rescue teams and fire crews are continuing in their efforts in a desperate bid to find him.