Search teams have found items belonging to British journalist Dom Phillips and his Brazilian guide Bruno Pereira, who have been missing in the Amazon since last week. The Brazilian police announced this on Sunday, Reuters news agency reported. The items include clothes and shoes from both men and Phillips’ backpack. Nothing is known about the fate of the duo, but it is feared that they are no longer alive.
Also read: British journalist and Brazilian guide disappeared in Amazon
Phillips’ backpack, containing clothes and a laptop, was found tied to a tree trunk in water near the Itaguai River towards the Amazon town of Atalaia do Norte. The duo was last seen on that route last Sunday. On Saturday, employees of the Funai indigenous organization had already found clothes, a tarpaulin and a bottle of motor oil in the forest along the river. Several witnesses recognized the clothes as Pereira’s.
Philips, freelance journalist for The Guardian and The New York Times, collaborated with area and population expert Pereira on a story about indigenous patrols trying to protect their land from illegal invaders. The Briton has been writing for years about violence against indigenous peoples and environmental problems in the Amazon, such as illegal logging and mining. They were last seen last Sunday, when they left in a small boat via the Itaguai River to Atalaia do Norte, located in the Amazon. The two never got there.
Human rights groups reported after the disappearance that Phillips and Pereira had received multiple threats from illegal fishermen and hunters during their trip. Last week, Brazilian police arrested a fisherman for illegal possession of weapons and possible involvement in Phillips and Pereira’s disappearance. About 150 soldiers are helping in the search for the duo, together with search teams of the indigenous population.
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