Dom Phillips: British journalist goes missing in the Amazon
Reporter has extensively covered threat of climate change on Indigenous communities
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A British journalist and veteran international correspondent has gone missing in a remote part of the Amazon, a local indigenous association has said.
Dom Phillips, a longstanding contributor to The Guardian, and Bruno Araujo Pereira, a Brazilian indigenous expert, were last seen at 7am local time on Sunday in the Sao Rafael community, according to the Unijava association.
Mr Pereira was an adviser to the association and had been travelling with Mr Phillips, who was working on a book about the environment.
The pair were returning by boat from the Vale do Javari indigenous land and were bound for the city of Atalaia do Norte, about an hour away.
A search party was deployed at about 2pm after they failed to arrive.
The area – which houses one of the largest indigenous territories in Brazil – has been marked by violent conflicts between fishers, poachers and government agents.
A spokesperson for The Guardian said: “The Guardian is very concerned and is urgently seeking information about Mr Phillips’s whereabouts and condition. We are in contact with the British embassy in Brazil and local and national authorities to try to establish the facts as soon as possible.”
Mr Phillips, who also regularly contributes to the Washington Post, the New York Times and the Financial Times, was described by the newspaper as being a great lover of the Amazon region, and had reported intensively on the threat of climate change on its indigenous communities.
Former Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has expressed concern for Mr Phillips and Mr Pereira on Twitter, saying: “I hope they are found soon, that they are safe and well.”
The region has seen repeated shootings between hunters and fishers and official security agents, who have a permanent base in the area, known for having the world’s largest population of uncontacted indigenous people.
In September 2019, an employee of the indigenous affairs agency was shot dead in Tabatinga, the largest city in the region. The crime was never solved.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments