Medics save 'newest tribe member'

The Indian islands of Andaman and Nicobar are home to some rare indigenous tribal groups like the Jarwas, the Onges, the Sentenelese and the Shompens.

The tribes have also been affected by the recent earthquake and tidal waves but authorities say almost all off them are safe.

However, the members of the Onge tribe who live in the Little Andaman island have been evacuated from their natural habitat and are living in relief camps in Hut Bayi, the island's biggest town.

One Onge couple was evacuated to the capital, Port Blair, on Friday with their new-born baby.

Assisted by doctors and medical officials, 13-year-old Rajni got off the helicopter at the air base in Port Blair.

'Mother dehydrated'

Dressed in a red skirt and green blouse, Rajni looked a bit unsteady on her feet. A little over 1.3m (four foot) in height, she looked every bit the child she is.

Carrying her five-day-old baby boy in her arms and accompanied by the baby's father, she was whisked away by the officials into a waiting ambulance and driven off to the G B Pant Hospital in Port Blair.

The doctor who received them at the airport said the baby's weight is alarmingly low and he's suffering from neo-natal jaundice. He said the parents of the baby are panicked and the mother is dehydrated, physically very weak and in a state of shock.

The mother and the baby have been admitted to hospital where doctors say they'll do proper investigations to see what needs to be done.

The pilot flight commander, Nilay Kukreti, who evacuated the Onge couple from Hut Bay said Rajni was very nervous about flying in a helicopter.

The Onge are one of the oldest tribes in the Andaman Islands and anthropologists say they could be dated back there 30,00 to 50,000 years.

They resemble African bush men in appearance. They're generally short, some four to four-and-a-half feet in height and dark skin colour and curly hair. Today the Onge tribe are on the verge of extinction. Only 98 of them are left.