The father of a British journalist who is missing in Brazil has said her disappearance is “very worrying” and he is “very concerned”.
Derek Peet told Sky News his daughter Charlotte Alice Peet, 32, flew to the South American country, where she had worked as a freelance correspondent, without telling her family.
“I wouldn’t say that it was normal, there was something on her mind obviously otherwise she would have let us know,” he said.
Ms Peet told a friend she was in Sao Paulo on 8 February but was planning to go to Rio de Janeiro before she disappeared.
Charlotte Peet works as a freelance correspondent
Days later her family contacted the friend saying they had lost contact with the journalist and her mother reported her missing to police.
“She was then traced to Gatwick Airport and was found to have boarded a plane to Sao Paulo and then the trail went cold,” said Mr Peet.
“It’s very worrying but I don’t have any more to say, I’m very concerned but I just don’t know what’s going on, we’re just trying to pick up the pieces really.”
Ms Peet has worked as a foreign correspondent in Brazil, for organisations including broadcaster Al Jazeera and The Times newspaper, according to her LinkedIn profile.
The ACIE, the association of foreign press correspondents in Brazil, has issued a statement expressing concern about her disappearance, and to express sympathy for her family and friends.
It said the case was initially registered with police in Rio on Monday but referred to Sao Paulo, the last place she was known to have been before disappearing.
The Sao Paulo Public Security Secretariat said that the state department of homicide and protection of the person would assist in the case, according to the statement.
Read more from Sky News:
Vatican issues update on Pope’s health
Former Brazilian president charged over alleged coup
Charlotte worked in Rio more than two years ago as a freelance correspondent, then went back to London before returning to Brazil in November last year.
She is said to have contacted a friend in Rio on WhatsApp saying she needed a place to stay but was told the friend could not host her.
Ms Peet’s family have provided information about her flight to Brazil and a photo of her passport to help with the search.
“The ACIE and its board of directors call on the competent authorities to intensify the search in order to find the British journalist as soon as possible,” a statement on behalf of its president Edmar Figueiredo and its board of directors said.
A Foreign Office spokesperson said: “We are supporting the family of a British woman who has been reported as missing in Brazil and are in contact with the local authorities.”