Post by Taxigirl on Dec 15, 2003 18:45:40 GMT
The body of a young British environmental campaigner has been found in the Amazon, almost three days after she disappeared.
Emily Craddock, 27, was last seen on Saturday on a Greenpeace vessel as it travelled up the Xingu River, 1,500 miles north of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Her body was found on Monday near Ilha Capim, close to where the boat Arctic Sunrise was sailing when she vanished.
Greenpeace said the cause of death was being investigated.
"The authorities will now have to establish the cause of death," her father, Malcolm Craddock, said.
Search
"Until such time, the family and Greenpeace ask everyone to respect the grief and privacy of the family," he added.
No family members were in the Amazon and the body was identified by a member of the Greenpeace crew.
A massive search was launched when crew realised Ms Craddock was missing, several hours after she was last seen.
The Arctic Sunrise was turned around to begin searching along its route, and was joined by a helicopter, Cessna plane and three inflatable boats as well as local people and the port authority of Belem.
Ms Craddock, a radio operator, was in Brazil as part of the environmental group's campaign against illegal logging.
The Arctic Sunrise had been sailing from Porto de Moz in the northern state capital of Para, to the state capital Belem.
Anonymous threats
Greenpeace said the crew had faced threats from loggers since late October, when it began investigating illegal deforestation.
However, when Ms Craddock went missing, Greenpeace said it did not think her disappearance had anything to do with the threats.
In November loggers tried to block the Arctic Sunrise from entering the Xingu River, where most of the illegal logging takes place.
There had also been anonymous threats that the ship would be attacked and burned.
Ms Craddock, a Loughborough University graduate from Primrose Hill in north-west London, has worked for Greenpeace for four years.
While in the UK she worked as a nursery school teacher.