The British Embassy in Brazil urged South American authorities to do “everything possible” to find Dominic Phillips’ whereabouts.British journalist disappeared this week along with a native of the Amazon region.

According to the British ambassador, Melanie HookinLondon is aware of the “logistical challenges” faced by the “remote location” where the two men disappeared, but stresses the importance of finding them.

“We are deeply concerned that British journalist Dominic Phillips and indigenous activist Bruno Pereira have not been found. We are aware that this continues to be a sad time for his family and friends.”Hopkins noted in a post on his social network.

Through this same channel, the British ambassador reports that the UK Government is providing “consular support” for the Phillips family and remain in “close contact” with Brazilian authorities.

A similar petition was also launched this Thursday by Amnesty International (AI), urging Brazilian authorities to “lose no more time” in searching for missing persons after they lost track of them four days ago.

“We urge President Bolsonaro to mobilize all available resources to find them alive. Every second can be critical to bringing them back safely to their loved ones,” said the director of AI Americas in a statement. Guevara Rosas.

In addition, Rosas also conveyed this request to Peruvian and Colombian authorities that they “immediately deploy their search and rescue teams” in their respective Amazonian regions adjacent to the area where Phillips and Pereira are believed to have disappeared.

“International cooperation is more important than ever in a crisis situation like this”said Amnesty International’s representative.

Greenpeace, an NGO for environmental defense, pointed out in a statement that “The search and rescue response has been very slow” and “even now the scale of the operation is much smaller than needed to be effective.”

NGOs emphasize that “The disappearance of Dom and Bruno comes at a time of growing anti-indigenous policies promoted by the current Brazilian government.”

A group of activists, family members and other supporters They asked Bolsonaro’s government on Thursday to step up efforts to find Phillips and Pereira.

The group gathered outside the Brazilian embassy in London, where Greenpeace representatives, along with members of the Phillips family, They sent a letter to the ambassador asking him to urge his government to “intensify the search” for the couple.

Friends, colleagues and others who support Phillips and Araújo’s work for the protection of the Amazon and its people participated in the event, which carried a large banner with a photo of the two.

Phillips, former partner at Guardian you Washington Postand Pereira, from the National Indian Foundation (FUNAI) disappeared this weekend in the Javari Valley in the Amazon, an area larger than Austria and home to the world’s largest concentration of untouched tribes.

In fact, the recognized danger in the area has been the main argument used by the country’s president, Jair Bolsonaro, to question the expedition. “Just two people on a boat in a completely wild area is an adventure not to go on. Anything can happen. It could be an accident, they could be executed”said the president.

(With information from Europa Press and EFE)

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