British Journalist Goes Missing In Amazon Rainforest

A British journalist has gone missing in the Amazon rainforest alongside a Brazilian indigenous expert. 

Dom Phillips, who regularly contributes to The Guardian newspaper in Brazil, was most recently seen in the Javari region, Amazonas state this weekend. 

The writer, 57, was travelling in the remote area with Bruno Pereira whilst researching a book, with the pair having received death threats just days before, according to reports.

His family have now said ‘every second counts’ in the search for him and Bruno. 

Federal police and the navy have since launched a search party in the region for the missing people. 

Two fishermen were arrested in connection with Dom and Bruno’s disappearance on Monday evening, according to reports, but have since been released. 

The author has written widely on the Amazon rainforest and has lived in Brazil for over 10 years.

Bruno, meanwhile, is currently on leave from his role with the government’s indigenous affairs agency, Funai, and has expert knowledge of remote tribes in the area, the BBC has reported.

Both of them were located in the district for around a week and travelled to Jaburu lake on Friday via boat.

They were expected to make a return to Atalaia do Norte city on Sunday afternoon, according to two indigenous groups in the area but the pair never arrived.

Their families expressed concern since the two went missing: "Please answer the urgency of the moment with urgent actions," said Dom’s wife, Alessandra Sampaio, in a statement.

"In the forest every second counts, every second could be the difference between life and death," she wrote. 

Jonathan Watts, the global environment editor at The Guardian also ‘urgently’ called on local authorities to help find Dom. 

He tweeted: “Dom Phillips, a superb journalist, regular contributor to @guardian, and great friend, is missing in Javari Valley of Amazon after death threats to his indigenista companion, Bruno Pereira, who is also missing. Calling on Brazilian authorities to urgently launch a search operation.”

Dom Phillips, a superb journalist, regular contributor to @guardian, and great friend, is missing in Javari Valley of Amazon after death threats to his indigenista companion, Bruno Pereira, who is also missing. Calling on Brazilian authorities to urgently launch search operation.

— jonathanwatts (@jonathanwatts) June 6, 2022

Meanwhile, the former Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva also hoped the pair would be ‘found quickly’.

"Phillips interviewed me for the Guardian in 2017. I hope they are fine, safe and will be found quickly,” he said on Twitter.

The Guardian also stated it was ‘very concerned’ about Dom’s whereabouts and was ‘urgently seeking information about Mr Phillips’ whereabouts and condition.’

The Javari region, where the journalist was last seen, houses over 20 indigenous groups, and has been targeted by violent outbreaks in recent moments, with residents seeing a rise in illegal mining, fishing and hunting trades.

Funai, the government’s indigenous affairs agency which is located in the area where Bruno works, has been subjected to attacks in recent years.