The sister of a British journalist who went missing on the Amazon has said she still hopes to find him.
Sian Phillips joined fans in a vigil for his brother Dom Phillips, who has worked as a Guardian freelance correspondent, and Brazilian Indigenous Affairs official Bruno Araujo Pereira on Thursday in front of the Brazilian embassy in central London.
The two men disappeared from a remote part of the rainforest more than three days ago, according to the last time seen in the early hours of Sunday in the community of São Rafael.
Some people held red roses while others held red and black signs that said “Find Dom and Bruno” and featured pictures of the missing couple’s faces as they stood in silence in a row in front of the embassy entrance in from 8 in the morning.
In a statement to the press, Sian Phillips, with his partner, Paul Sherwood, and his twin brother, Gareth Phillips, by his 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 also here with my brother’s nieces and nephews.
“We are here because Dom is missing, he is lost doing the important task of investigative journalism. We’re here to point out why it took me so long to start my brother and Bruno’s search.
“We want the search to continue.”
Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira were filmed on the Amazon expedition in 2018: video
He spoke of how his brother was a “great writer and journalist, a man of solidarity … and cares about the environment and loves Brazil” and that the whole family loved him.
When asked about his chances of finding his brother, he added, “We all still have hope. We have hope.”
In Atalaia do Norte, the secluded Amazonian town where Phillips and Pereira spent their last night before heading to the Javari reservation, locals expressed surprise and anger at their disappearances.
“I still can’t believe it,” said Marivalda Rabelo Laranhaga, the hotel receptionist where they stayed before starting their trip last Thursday afternoon.
“He seemed like such a polite and kind person … a journalist who was really dedicated to his job,” added Laranhaga, 31, of Phillips as Indigenous rescue workers prepared to return to the river to continue their work. research.
Meanwhile, the newspaper O Globo reported that a major suspect in the case had been seen loading a shotgun and leaving Atalaia with four other people in a powerful motorboat after Phillips and Pereira visited the city.
Amarildo da Costa de Oliveira, 41, also known as Pelado, was arrested on Wednesday for allegedly carrying a firearm without permission, a common practice in the region.
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On the eve of London, Louisa Casson, head of forests at Greenpeace UK, explained the meaning of red roses. “We wanted something that conveyed the love and admiration that everyone here has for Dom and Bruno and their work and amplifies the images that are already on social media with this clear message of finding Dom and Bruno,” he said.
At 9.30am, a letter was delivered to the Brazilian ambassador by Greenpeace UK Executive Director Pat Venditti and the Phillips family.
Casson added that the letter presented “an urgent call on the Brazilian government to devote all necessary local and federal resources to Bruno and Dom’s search mission.”
A Guardian editorial has asked authorities to step up the hitherto unobtrusive response. “The government is unlikely to change course without international pressure,” he said. “It must first be taken into account to produce an appropriate response to this disappearance.”