Brazilian officials have started an investigation into accusations that illegal goldminers in the Amazon killed at least 10 men from an uncontacted tribe.
According to Survival International, the murders took place last month along the River Jandiatuba in western Brazil.
Attention was drawn to the goldminers when they allegedly started boasting about the killings and even had 'trophies' from the tribesmen's bodies. A spokeswoman for Brazilian government agency for uncontacted tribes, FUNAI, Leila Silvia Burger Sotto-Maior, has told the New York Times: "It was crude bar talk. They even bragged about cutting up the bodies and throwing them in the river."
She believes the miners 'had to kill them or be killed'.
Ms Sotto-Maior adds: "There is a lot of evidence, but it needs to be proven."
These huts were burnt down last year in another potential attack from outsiders. Credit: FUNAI/Survival International
Survival International believes this is the culmination of the Brazilian government's decrease in funding for teams who look after uncontacted indigenous groups.
Director Stephen Corry has released a statement, saying: "If these reports are confirmed, [Brazilian] President Temer and his government bear a heavy responsibility for this genocidal attack. The slashing of FUNAI's funds has left dozens of uncontacted tribes defenseless against thousands of invaders - goldminers, ranchers and loggers - who are desperate to steal and ransack their lands.
"All these tribes should have had their lands properly recognised and protected years ago - the government's open support for those who want to open up indigenous territories is utterly shameful, and is setting indigenous rights in Brazil back decades."
Credit: PA
Because the tribe is believed to be quite small, a killing spree on this scale is understood to have wiped out a fifth of their population. The existence of tribes like this and others is under threat as increasing parts of the Amazon rainforest is earmarked for deforestation or agriculture.
As of 2007, there were an estimated 67 uncontacted tribes in Brazil, which is the highest number in the world, with the island of New Guinea taking second place. Some of the tribes have only a few dozen members, whereas others are believed to have as many as 500.
Although there is a person dubbed 'Man of the Hole', who lives alone in the Amazon rainforest, as it's understood that he is the last surviving person of his tribe. In 2007, FUNAI dedicated a 31-square mile area around him which was 'off limits' to outsiders.
He was reportedly attacked by gunmen in 2009 but is believed to have survived.
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Sources: Survival International, New York Times, Telegraph, Reuters, Guardian