Some of missing Australian man Rye Hunt’s belongings have been found more than a week after he disappeared from Rio de Janeiro’s main airport.
The 25-year-old left Galeao international airport in a taxi on 21 May, after arranging to meet his travelling companion again in 30 minutes, his family said in a statement on Sunday.
Some of Hunt’s personal effects have been found but their location has not been released.
Hunt and his travelling companion, with whom he had spent seven weeks travelling through south-east Asia and South America, were captured on CCTV before they split up.
“There appears to have been an argument between Rye and his travel partner in the airport,” the statement said.
A crowd-funding campaign has raised money to send Hunt’s uncle and his girlfriend to Rio to coordinate the search. The brother of his travel companion will also go to offer support.
“Receiving information today has given us, sort of, renewed hope,” Hunt’s sister Romany Brodribb told ABC Radio. “It better informs where the search will progress to from here.”
Tasmanian and West Australian police have been working with the foreign affairs department and Brazilian authorities to find Hunt, who has not used his social media, email and bank accounts, and does not appear to have used his phone.
Hunt grew up in Tasmania and had been working in Kalgoorlie until he left the country on 1 April.
He is an experienced traveller, having also visited south-east Asia and New Zealand.
A social media campaign to #findrye has been shared across Australia and South America.
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