Search for a British journalist and a specialist in indigenous affairs who disappeared in the Amazon

Veteran foreign correspondent Dom Phillips visits Aldeia Maloca Papiú, Roraima State, Brazil, on November 16, 2019. – Phillips disappeared while researching a book in the Javari Valley of the Brazilian Amazon with respected indigenous expert Bruno Pereira. Pereira, an expert from Brazil’s indigenous affairs agency FUNAI, with deep knowledge of the region, has regularly received threats from loggers and miners trying to encroach on the lands of uncontacted indigenous groups. (Photo by Joao LAET / AFP) (Photo by JOAO LAET/AFP via Getty Images) (CNN) — The Amazon Military Command has launched a search operation for British journalist Dom Phillips and Brazilian indigenous affairs specialist Bruno Pereira in the region of Atalaia do Norte, a municipality in the state of Amazonas, the army said in a statement Monday night. The military is deploying a team of military jungle fighters and a speedboat to manage the search. The statement came just hours after an earlier statement in which the Amazon Military Command said they were ready to carry out their humanitarian and rescue duties, but were awaiting orders from a “higher echelon”. Veteran foreign correspondent Dom Phillips (C) takes notes as he speaks with indigenous people at Aldeia Maloca Papiú, in Roraima state, Brazil, on November 15, 2019. (Photo by JOAO LAET/AFP via Getty Images) On Monday, The Brazilian navy stated that it had carried out a search and rescue operation starting at 11:40 local time on three rivers in the area. The statement said a helicopter, two boats and a jet ski would be used on Tuesday when the search resumed. Phillips and Pereira were reported missing Sunday morning after they were supposed to make a two-hour drive to Atalaia do Norte but never arrived, according to the Coordination of the Indigenous Organization (UNIVAJA). UNIVAJA stated that Phillips and Pereira had received death threats prior to their disappearance in the Amazon.