Family faces wait to bring body home from Tenerife
23 minutes ago
By Jonny Humphries, BBC News, Tenerife
Family handout
Jay Slater was on holiday in Tenerife when he went missing
The family of Jay Slater could face a wait of at least a week before they can bring the 19-year-old’s body home from Tenerife.
Mr Slater, from Oswaldtwistle, has been formally identified as the body discovered in a ravine in the Masca area of the island on Monday.
The charity LBT Global told the BBC it is helping the family organise the return of the body.
It is understood some of the near £60,000 raised in a GoFundMe appeal could be used towards the repatriation costs if necessary.
Signi Zoekhonden
An aerial view of the ravine in Juan Lopez, northern Tenerife, where Mr Slater’s body was found
On Tuesday the Guardia Civil and Canary Islands Higher Court of Justice confirmed the body had injuries consistent with a fall onto rocky ground.
Matthew Searle, chief executive of LBT Global, which has been helping the Slater family, told the BBC he understood the Spanish authorities had carried out all the examinations they needed to.
He added he was confident that insurance should cover the cost of bringing Mr Slater’s body home, but that there was the option of using crowdfunded donations if not.
Handout
Jay Slater with his mother, Debbie Duncan
LBT Global has been helping Mr Slater’s family through the formal processes with the Spanish judicial system, which Mr Searle said could be “overwhelming” for grief-stricken relatives.
He said: “There is so much to do, and obviously when you’re in a foreign country, and you don’t speak the language, and you’ve got no-one around you to help really, and you’re in the position that Jay’s parent’s are in… it’s just not the kind of thing that you cope with, it’s just overwhelming.”
Mr Searle also said the charity would try and make sure Mr Slater’s family were on the same flight when he is repatriated.
“It’s always nice for them to say we have literally brought him home together,” he added.
Mr Slater’s mother, Debbie Duncan, said her family’s “hearts were broken” after her son’s identity was confirmed.
She added: “I just can’t believe this could happen to my beautiful boy.”
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