Benedict Allen: Missing British explorer 'feverish with malaria' as he is rescued by helicopter from Papua New Guinea

A British explorer who vanished in the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea has been evacuated by helicopter with suspected malaria.

Benedict Allen, 57, who has no mobile phone or GPS device with him, was dropped into the remote jungle three weeks ago.

He was reported missing when he failed to show up for a flight to Hong Kong on Sunday.

He is now reportedly feverish with suspected malaria.

His agent, Jo Sarsby, confirmed on Thursday that he had been seen near a remote airstrip, and said efforts were under way to evacuate him.

In a statement on Friday, his agent said: "We can confirm that Benedict Allen has been evacuated by helicopter and is now safe in Port Moresby.

"He is reported as feverish with suspected malaria. Benedict looks forward to being reunited with his family and friends but will need some time to get back to full health.

"He would like to send thanks for all the kind messages he has received."

Mr Allen's friend, BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner, tweeted that Mr Allen was due to be on a plane home on Saturday.

He added: "Explorer @benedictallen is now recovering from fever, poss malaria in Papua New Guinea capital having got disoriented on remote jungle trek."

The father-of-three disappeared while searching for the Yaifo tribe who have little contact with the outside world.

He was eventually spotted by a missionary in Enga Province, "alive and well".

Mr Allen's wife Lenka Allen previously told how the couple's children - 10-year-old Natalya, Freddie, seven, and two-year-old Beatrice - were missing their father.

After hearing of sightings of Mr Allen, she told the Daily Mail: "It is such a relief. I'm so happy, it's amazing."

In a blog post on his website in September, Mr Allen described the Yaifo as "one of the last people on the entire planet who are out of contact with our interconnected world".

"Just like the good old days, I won't be taking a sat phone, GPS or companion. Or anything else much," he wrote.

"Because this is how I do my journeys of exploration. I grow older but no wiser, it seems."

Author and TV presenter Mr Allen has made six TV series for the BBC.

He has a vast track record of remote exploration and is the only person known to have crossed the Gobi desert alone.

He also claim to have once eaten his dog to survive in the Brazilian rainforest.

Unaware of what was to come, Mr Allen sent a tweet en-route to the airport before leaving the UK, which read: “Marching off to Heathrow. I may be some time (don't try to rescue me, please - where I'm going in PNG you won't ever find me you know...)”