Sister of British journalist missing in Amazon still has hope he will be found

The sister of a British journalist missing in the Amazon has said she still has hope that he will be found.

Sian Phillips was joined by supporters at a vigil for her brother Dom Phillips and Brazilian indigenous affairs official Bruno Araujo Pereira outside the Brazilian embassy in central London on Thursday.

The two men vanished from a remote part of the rainforest more than three days ago, having reportedly last been seen early on Sunday in the Sao Rafael community.

Some people held red roses while others clasped red and black posters which read “Find Dom & Bruno” and featured images of the missing pair’s faces, as they stood in silence in a line outside the entrance of the embassy from 8am.

In a statement to the press, Ms Phillips, who donned a red top and held a red rose, with her partner Paul Sherwood and twin brother Gareth Phillips by her side, said: “We had to come this morning, to ask the question: where is Dom Phillips? Where is Bruno Pereira?

“And we are also here for my brother’s wife, Alessandra Sampaio. We are here with my brother’s nieces and sister-in-law too.

“We are here because Dom is missing, he is lost doing the important job of investigative journalism. We are here to make the point that why did it take so long for them to start the search for my brother and for Bruno.

“We want the search to carry on.”

She spoke about how her brother is a “great writer and journalist, a caring man… and cares about the environment and loves Brazil” and that the whole family loves him.

When asked about the chances of her brother being found, she added: “We all still have hope. We have hope.”

Louisa Casson, head of forests at Greenpeace UK, explained the meaning of the red roses.

“We wanted something that conveys the love and admiration everyone here has for Dom and Bruno and for their work and amplifying the images already on social media with this clear message of find Dom and Bruno,” she said.

At 9.30am, a letter was given to the Brazilian ambassador from Greenpeace UK’s executive director Pat Venditti and Mr Phillips’ family.

Ms Casson added that the letter presents “an urgent call on the Brazilian government to dedicate all necessary local and federal resources to the search mission for Bruno and Dom”.

The vigil comes after a suspect named as 41-year-old Amarildo da Costa de Oliveira, also known as Pelado, was arrested for allegedly carrying a firearm without a permit, a common practice in the region.

Police did not clarify why he was being treated as a suspect but he is thought to have been among a group of men who threatened the pair near an indigenous territory on Saturday.