Wife of missing British journalist Dom Phillips warns 'every second counts' in search for him
The wife of a British journalist who went missing in a remote area of the Amazon rainforest has urged authorities to intensify their search as "every second could be the difference between life and death".
Dom Phillips, a regular contributor to the Guardian newspaper in Brazil, vanished on Sunday while travelling through the Javari region of Amazonas state, where he was reporting for a book about conservation.
Mr Phillips, who was with Bruno Araújo Pereira, a renowned Indigenous expert, was said to have received a number of threats from loggers and miners in the region, which is notorious for illegal mining.
In a statement, Alessandra Sampaio, who lives with her husband in the north-eastern city of Salvador, said: "Brazilian authorities, our families are in despair. Please answer the urgency of the moment with urgent actions.
“As I make this appeal they have been missing for more than 30 hours … [and] in the forest every second counts, every second could be the difference between life and death."
“All I can do is pray that Dom and Bruno [Araújo Pereira] are well, somewhere, and unable to continue with their journey because of some mechanical problem, and that all this will end up being just another story in these full lives of theirs.”
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Federal police and the navy are searching for the two men in the remote region, home to some of the most uncontacted indigenous people in the world.
It has been the site of violence in recent years, with an increase in illegal mining, fishing and hunting.
The pair - who were travelling in a new boat with 70 litres of gasoline - had been due to reach Atalaia do Norte, the main entry point to the Javari region, on Sunday morning, but never made it to their destination.
Mr Phillip's sister has issued an emotional plea to authorities, warning that "every minute counts" in the search for her brother.
"We are really worried about him and urge the authorities in Brazil to do all they can, search the route he was following," Sian Phillips said. "If anyone can help scale up resources available for the search, that would be great, because time is crucial. "Here in the UK, my other brother and I are desperately worried. We love our brother and want him and his Brazilian guide Bruno Pereira found. Every minute counts."
The Guardian said it was "very concerned" about Mr Phillips, 57, and was "urgently seeking information" about his whereabouts and condition.
Among other news outlets, the freelancer and veteran foreign correspondent has also contributed to The Washington Post and The New York Times.