Brazil steps up search for missing journalist
Brazil says it is stepping up its search for British journalist Dom Phillips, 57, and Brazilian indigenous expert Bruno Pereira, 41 after it was criticized for its slow response to their disappearance.
The two men went missing in the rainforest near Brazil’s border with Peru on Sunday.
No trace has been found of them or the boat they were traveling in.
The lead investigator said his team was “pursuing all lines of inquiry”.
There has been a huge concern for the welfare of the men after it emerged that Mr Pereira had received death threats in the week before they went missing.
Brazilian football legend Pelé is among those who have urged the authorities to intensify to scale up their search.
He retweeted a video in which Mr Phillip’s wife, Alessandra Sampaio, said she hoped that “the love of my life” would be found alive.
Investigators said there were now 250 members of the security forces taking part in the search, up from just about a dozen in the first days.
They said the team included divers and experts in jungle terrain. Two helicopters, more than a dozen boats, and drones are also being used.
Six people have been questioned in connection with the men’s disappearance, but police said only one had been arrested while the others were questioned as witnesses.
They said that the arrested man had been detained during a random stop-and-search operation in the area during which he had been found illegally carrying ammunition.
SOURCE: NEWS AGENCIES