Allen, 57, who went missing in jungle, is waiting to be picked up from a remote airstrip, his agent said

An explorer who went missing in the Papua New Guinean jungle has been found alive in a tribal war zone waiting for a rescue party to be sent to pick him up.

Benedict Allen, who has made programmes for the BBC, had gone travelling in an attempt to find the Yaifo tribe, one of the few left in the world that has little to no contact with outsiders and whom he first met 30 years ago.

Fears for his safety grew after he missed a planned flight home, amid criticism from friends and family of his decision not to take satellite phone or tracking devices.

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But on Thursday it was confirmed that Allen, a 57-year-old father of three, had been found and is waiting to be picked up from remote airstrip cut off by tribal fighting.

A statement from Allen’s agent, Jo Sarsby management, said: “At 5pm local time (PNG) Mr Keith Copley, the coordinating director for New Tribe Mission in Papua New Guinea confirmed in writing that Benedict Allen was safe, well and healthy and is presently located at a remote airstrip 20 miles north-west of Porgera, Enga province.”

It added that a rescue helicopter flight was due to take place “as soon as possible”.

The BBC’s security correspondent, Frank Gardner, who met up with Allen before he left, confirmed he had been sighted but claimed he was still at risk.

Frank Gardner (@FrankRGardner) UK explorer @benedictallen has been sighted, 'alive and well' nr airstrip in Papua New Guinea after being reported missing while trekking. pic.twitter.com/8neKeC9IGS

Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, he said: “Those who are trying to rescue him are trying to get some kind of air transport helicopter to him as quickly as possible in case the fighting erupts again. So I’m afraid he is not out of danger. As long as there is no shooting around the airstrip it should be logistically straight forward.”

The Foreign Office said it was looking into the reports. In a statement, it said: “Our staff are assisting the family of a British man who has been reported missing in Papua New Guinea, and are in contact with the local authorities.”

Marina Fogle, a family friend and the wife of the British explorer Ben Fogle, said: “All of us who know him are relieved. It is such an awful situation to be in. It brings shudders down our spines to think of his wife and his family and think of the amount of worry they are obviously experiencing.”

Asked what Allen’s Czech-born wife Lenka will say to him when he returns, Fogle said: “Take a bloomin’ phone next time. There is so much technology available, that’s what I’d be saying.”

Allen’s sister, Katie Petille, confirmed the family’s annoyance. Speaking to the Daily Mail, she said: “Lenka is being very brave but we are both very cross with him. It is typical of him to go off without GPS.”

But Will Millard, a fellow explorer who was feared dead in neighbouring Papua when his satellite phone was smashed when he got lost on an expedition in 2012, denied his mentor was being selfish by exploring without a phone or tracking device.

Speaking to the Guardian, he said: “Benedict is old school. That’s the way he likes to do his projects. He likes that feeling of complete freedom. For people like Ben it’s about finding out more about yourself and putting yourself in a situation where, in spite of all of the mod cons and globalised systems of communication, you can still go somewhere and feel truly alone.

Frank Gardner (@FrankRGardner) UK explorer @benedictallen is not out of danger yet. He's marooned at an airstrip after tribal fighting cut off all the road bridges. pic.twitter.com/l5R1Efv5GE

“You consider that your actions are probably quite selfish. But no one puts themselves into these situations looking to put themselves into some survival epic or disaster.”

Gardner conceded that exploring was a self-indulgent activity. But he added: “In its defence, it brings enormous pleasure to a lot of people. That’s no consolation to the family and friends left behind, especially in the case of Benedict when he’s late like this, because he is not on an organised trip he’s gone off on his own, pretty irresponsibly I’d say, but there are so many people who are interested in what he’s got to say, the next talk at the Royal Geographical Society or wherever it is is going to have huge interest.”

Allen was expected to have returned to the capital, Port Moresby, by Sunday to catch a flight to Hong Kong, where he was scheduled to speak to the Royal Geographical Society.

The last post on his blog is is titled: “I may be some time …”

In it, he writes: “The Yaifo, a band of people I made first outside contact with some 30 years ago, are still living in the remote Central Range of PNG. Furthermore, no outsider has made the journey to visit them since the rather perilous journey I made as a young man three decades ago. This would make them the remotest people in Papua New Guinea, and one of the last people on the entire planet who are out of contact with our interconnected world.

Benedict Allen's plight is 'horribly familiar', says Papua explorer Read more

“In October I’m hiring a helicopter to drop me off at the abandoned mission station, Bisorio … If – and only if – it seems ethical, I’ll try to assemble a small party, as I did all those years ago, and head off upslope into the mists to visit the Yaifo in their remote abode. The aim is to create a brief record of their lives.”