Gov’t searches for missing journalist, indigenous expert in Amazon

Brazil’s Office of the Attorney-General stated it is monitoring the measures being taken to locate indigenous expert Bruno Araújo Pereira and English journalist Dom Phillips, correspondent for daily The Guardian in Brazil.

According to the coordination of the Union of Indigenous Organizations of the Javari Valley (Univaja), a region in western Amazonas, they have been missing for more than 24 hours.

“Prosecutors have been informed that agents are searching the stretch between the São Rafael community and the municipality of Atalaia do Norte, Amazonas state, where the two are believed to have disappeared,” the note issued by the Office of the Attorney-General reads.

Brazil’s Attorney-General Augusto Aras and Minister of Justice and Public Security Anderson Torres met in Brasilia on Monday to deal with the case.

Federal prosecutors in the Amazon have also opened an administrative procedure in a bid to follow up on the issue, and have contacted the Navy, the Federal Police, and other authorities.

Bruno Pereira and Dom Phillips arrived on Friday at Jaburu Lake, near the Ituí river, as the journalist intended to visit the place and interview indigenous people. According to Unijava, the two were to return to the city of Atalaia do Norte on Sunday around 9 am, after a stop in the São Rafael community, so that the expert could hold a meeting with a person from the community nicknamed Churrasco. In the early afternoon, the first Unijava search team left Atalaia do Norte in search of the two, but could not find them.

The Federal Police reported they are also monitoring the case and taking action. “Investigations are underway and findings will be disclosed in due course,” a statement says.

The Navy declared they sent out a search and rescue team on Monday from from the Tabatinga Fluvial Captaincy to the city of Atalaia do Norte in order to help search for the boat in which the pair were. The initiative, joined by seven soldiers, continued on through the afternoon and actions were taken on the Javari, Itaquaí, and Ituí rivers, deep in the Amazon forest.

On Tuesday morning, the Navy also said a helicopter will also be deployed on the search, plus two boats and a jet-ski.