British explorer Benedict Allen rescued in Papua New Guinea

Nov. 17 (UPI) -- British explorer Benedict Allen, missing in Papua New Guinea, was rescued and has a suspected case of malaria, his management company said on Friday.

Allen, a globetrotting maker of documentary films, was missing for five days after arriving in Papua New Guinea to find members of the reclusive Yaifo tribe, which lives in a mountain forest on the remote island north of Australia. A search began after he did not arrive for his flight to Hong Kong on Sunday. Allen did not travel with a cellphone or another tracking device.

He was looked after by Christian missionaries on the island after becoming disoriented with illness, and was flown by helicopter to the Papua New Guinea capital of Port Moresby. Allen is suspected of suffering from malaria, the BBC reported on Friday.

"He has been picked up and is safe," a spokeswoman for his Bristol, England, management company, Jo Sarsby Management, said.

Allen will fly home to Britain on Saturday, United Kingdom high commissioner for Papua New Guinea said.