Rare tribe photographed in Amazon

Rio de Janeiro: Amazon Indians who have never had contact with the world have been spotted in the Amazon's western jungle near the border between Brazil and Peru.

The tribe was sighted in an Ethno-Environmental Protected Area over the Brazilian state of Acre, the National Foundation of the Indigenous People (Funai) said on Thursday.

The tribe was photographed from the air, and images released on Thursday showed tribal members painted bright red, some of them preparing to fire arrows at the aircraft.

"These pictures are further evidence that uncontacted tribes really do exist," Survival International director Stephen Corry said.

"The world needs to wake up to this, and ensure that their territory is protected in accordance with international law. Otherwise, they will soon be made extinct," he said.

Survival International says the most of the world's 100 uncontacted tribes are in grave danger of being forced off their land, killed and ravaged by new diseases.