Jay Slater’s uncle, who is continuing to search for him in Tenerife, has revealed the “torture” his family are feeling, as he compared the missing person’s search to the case of Madeleine McCann.

Glen Duncan, 41, told The Sun that he’s “clinging” on to hope as he’s joined a team of 10 people searching through the Tenerife mountains today, in the hope of making a breakthrough in the case.

He said: “He’s not been found so you’ve got to cling on. I’m sure Madeleine McCann’s parents still cling onto that hope, that she’s somewhere on the other side of the world 20 years later.

“She’s never been found and there’s no proof of whatever has happened to her.”

Jay has been missing on the Spanish island for almost three weeks, with the 19-year-old last heard from on the morning of June 17.

The apprentice bricklayer from Lancashire had spent the night with people he had met at a music festival the evening before and said he was trying to walk back to his own accommodation – an 11-hour walk.

Spanish authorities called off a search for Jay, although a private search funded by the family and GoFundMe donations is continuing on the island.

She added: “We are currently looking after Paul Arnett, putting together a package of any equipment and essentials he needs and going up to do a drop for him.

“We are also supporting Callum Fahim and his group with accommodation and other essentials.”

The remaining money will be used to support rescue teams, Ms Duncan said, as well as her family’s “own expenses as we remain in Tenerife looking for our boy”.

The disappearance of Madeleine McCann remains a mystery 17 years on.

The three-year-old, who was on holiday with her family in Portugal, vanished from a hotel room while parents Gerry and Kate ate at a nearby tapas restaurant.

Despite numerous investigations, the case has never been solved.