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British explorer found 'safe, well' in Papua New Guinea, awaits rescue

Benedict Allen, who disappeared on a mission to find a remote indigenous tribe, is now awaiting rescue from Papua New Guinea.
Image: Benedict Allen Mmissing
Benedict Allen, who has gone missing after attempting to find an indigenous tribe in Papua New Guinea.Andy Butterton / PA via AP file

LONDON — A British explorer who went missing during an expedition to find an indigenous tribe in Papua New Guinea has been found alive and well.

Benedict Allen, 57, is safe and currently waiting to be rescued at a remote airstrip, according to a statement released Thursday by his management agency.

The explorer and television presenter was dropped into the rainforest by helicopter last month. He was travelling alone and wasn’t carrying a satellite phone or any GPS devices.

Image: British explorer Benedict Allen
Benedict Allen has been found.Andy Butterton / PA via AP file

The alarm was raised that he was missing when he failed to catch a flight out of the country Monday.

Keith Copley, the coordinating director for New Tribe Mission in Papua New Guinea confirmed that Allen was “safe, well and healthy” and is located at a remote airstrip 20 miles northwest of Porgera, Enga Province in central Papua New Guinea, the statement said.

The exact location of the airstrip is still being confirmed and the evacuation would be arranged as soon as possible, it added.

Allen was hoping to make contact with the reclusive Yaifo tribe, which he had encountered in a mountainous area some 30 years ago.

The explorer is well-known in the U.K. for TV documentary programs in which he travels to remote parts of the planet without any form of modern technology.

In a blog post published in September, he warned that he would not have an obvious means of returning to the outside world — which he said was “somewhat worrying, especially at my advanced age.”

He explained that the aim of the trip was to create a brief record of how the tribe lives and possibly track down some of the people he met in the 1980s. It remains unclear as to whether he managed to make contact with the tribal people.

Image: Map showing Papua New Guinea
A map showing the location of Papua New Guinea.Google Maps