John Allen Chau is said to have been killed by a tribe on North Sentinel Island, an island that is off-bounds to visitors, and is home to the Sentinelese tribe.
Where are the Andaman Islands?
The island is located in India's remote Andaman and Nicobar chain.
It's a group of islands in the Bay of Bengal between India and Myanmar.
Most are part of the Andaman Islands is India's territory, while a small number in the north of the islands belong to Myanmar.
What tribes live there?
There are four main tribes that reside in the Andaman Islands.
Great Andamandese
Population: 43
Onge
Population: 100
Jarawa
Population: 270
Sentinelese
Population: 50-250
Who was John Allen Chau?
John Allen Chau was an American tourist who was killed by a tribe on the remote Indian island.
North Sentinel Island, off-bounds to visitors, is home to the Sentinelese, who killed John Allen Chau, after he was illegally ferried there by fishermen, officials said.
The Sentinelese are a community of hunter-gatherers who live there isolated from the outside world.
One of the officials told Reuters that "a murder case has been registered."
Because contact with the tribe is forbidden, John's killers cannot be prosecuted despite taking a life.
The 27-year-old described himself on Instagram as a “Wilderness EMT (Emergency Medical Technician), “PADI Advanced Open Water Diver”, “Outbound Collective Explorer” and a “Snakebite Survivor”.
The local Director General of Police Dependra Pathak told TNM:"His body has not yet been retrieved because we have to strategise keeping in mind the nuances and sensitivity of other cultures.
"We are working on that, and are in contact with anthropologists and tribal welfare experts.
"We will figure out some strategy."
Chau had reportedly visited the island hoping to preach Christianity to the tribe.
One of the police sources said Chau, who had made previous visits to the islands, had a strong desire to meet the Sentinelese.
Chau hired a fishing dinghy and, aided by the fishermen, reached the vicinity of the island on Nov. 16, before transferring to a canoe, the official said.
His body, spotted the following day by the fishermen on their return, has not yet been retrieved, the official added, although the fishermen who took him there have been arrested.
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