Fears tourist could wipe out ‘world’s most isolated’ tribe after giving them a can of coke

The island that the tribe lives on has been off-limits since 1996.

Mykhailo Polyakov, made an illegal visit to North Sentinel Island, home to the Sentinelese, who are a pre-Neolithic tribe with no contact with the outside world.

North Sentinel Island has been off-limits to the public since 1996 and Indian Navy vessels patrol an exclusion zone to prevent people from landing on the island.

On Saturday, Polyakov, made his way onto the island using a makeshift craft and left a Coke can there.

The 24-year-old was arrested upon his return from the island, however, the can cannot be retrieved due to police being unable to visit the island.

The director of the Indigenous rights group Survival International, Caroline Pearce, called Polyakov's actions "reckless and idiotic."

There is a worry that he may have brought diseases to the island that the natives would not have an immune defense for.

Pearce added: "This person’s actions not only endangered his own life, they put the lives of the entire Sentinelese tribe at risk."

According to police, Polyakov, used a GPS to find the island while on an inflatable boat.

Once arriving on the island he left a can of Coke and a coconut, he took some sand and then filmed a video before leaving.

He returned to Kurma Dera Beach at 7 pm, where local fishermen spotted him and alerted the police.

A police spokesperson said: “We are getting more details about him and his intention to visit the reserved tribal area.

"We are also trying to find where else he had visited during his stay in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. We are questioning the hotel staff where he was staying in Port Blair."