World

John Allen Chau: Struggle to retrieve body of man killed by tribe

November 25, 2018 3:31 pm

Indian officials are facing a difficult task to retrieve the body of an American missionary reportedly killed by an endangered tribe in the Andaman and Nicobar islands.

A police boat faced off with Sentinelese tribesmen on Saturday but withdrew to avoid confrontation.

John Allen Chau was said to have been killed with arrows when he landed on North Sentinel.

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He was trying to convert the protected people to Christianity.

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The fishermen who ferried Chau, 27, to North Sentinel on 17 November said they saw tribesmen drag a body along a beach and bury it.

The fishermen later accompanied police back to the point on the island where they believed the body was buried.

Six fishermen and one other person have been arrested over the incident.

On Saturday, police stationed their boat about 400m (437 yards) offshore and, using binoculars, saw tribesmen on the beach armed with bows and arrows.

Regional police chief Dependra Pathak told Agence France-Presse: “They stared at us and we were looking at them.”

The boat then withdrew.

“We have mapped the area with the help of these fishermen. We have not spotted the body yet but we roughly know the area where he is believed to be buried,” Mr Pathak said.