Tribesmen prevent police from retrieving remains of missionary

Indian police have been unable to recover the remains of the American missionary, who was killed by members of a tribe on a remote island.

John Allen Chau died last week after he was hit by arrows on North Sentinel Island in the Bay of Bengal.

The Sentinelese are one of the world's last pre-neolithic tribes

It's reported officers got to within 400 metres of the island when they spotted tribesmen armed with bows and arrows.

They abandoned the operation to avoid any confrontation.

Dependra Pathak, the director-general of police, said the islanders were clearly prepared to fight.

It's believed Mr Chau's body will never be recovered as Indian authorities take great care to avoid any direct contact with the Sentinelese.

It's illegal to go within five kilometres of the island as the tribe's existence is threatened by the modern world.

Although Mr Chau's death is officially a murder case, no charges will be made against the protected tribe.

John Allen Chau visited North Sentinel Island despite a government ban

The islanders have been greeting outsiders with hostility for centuries.

When two fishermen strayed on to the island in 2006, they were killed and their bodies were hooked on bamboo stakes facing the sea.

It's not clear if Mr Chau suffered the same fate.

The fishermen who took him to North Sentinel Island said they saw the tribe burying his body on the beach.

Those same fishermen have been arrested.