A British
reality TV star and his girlfriend feared they would be eaten by
cannibals after they were captured by a tribe while on holiday in Papua
New Guinea.
Matthew
Iovane and his American partner Michelle Clemens were trekking through
the jungle when they were confronted by a gang who tied them up,
stripped them naked and beat them with machetes.
At one point, Mr Iovane was shackled to a tree while Miss Clemens was repeatedly attacked and had her fingers sliced open.
During
their ordeal, they had no idea why they had been targeted – and the
only thing they could understand their captors saying was 'kill you'.
The couple finally managed to escape while they were being force-marched through the jungle and ran naked back to safety.
The
incident is now being investigated by the Foreign Office, who are
helping the Papua New Guinea authorities find the tribesmen responsible.
Mr
Iovane, 31, a DJ and brand consultant, met Miss Clemens, also 31, while
he was visiting her home city of Los Angeles and the pair agreed to
meet up again in Australia.
The couple
flew to Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea's capital, and set off on a
60-mile hike along the Kokoda Trail, in the south-east of the country.
For
five days, they met a host of welcoming villagers and spent every night
sleeping in the open after foraging for their food in the forest.
But
on the final day of their trip, Mr Iovane and Miss Clemens were
suddenly confronted by two tribesmen, one in front and one behind, who
were both armed with machetes, followed by several other natives.
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Mr Iovane, who was on reality TV show Shipwrecked in 2008, told The Sun:
'We'd joked about the famous cannibals of Papua New Guinea's jungle but
it was no laughing matter when these men came out of the bush.
'They looked very scary in native costumes and what looked like warpaint and came closer before circling around us.
'They tore up my T-shirt to blindfold me and the awful thought crossed my mind that we could be on the menu.'
Thinking
they were being robbed, the pair offered the gang their belongings, but
the tribesmen ignored their backpacks and tied them up.
Terrified: Mr Iovane said he had no idea why he and Miss Clemens were targeted
While
they were being held by the tribe, one man repeatedly threatened Mr
Iovane, swinging his machete at him while shouting 'Kill you'.
The gang later ransacked their bags - finding Miss Clemens' iPhone and shouting at her to turn it on.
At
one point, she suffered deep cuts to her fingers from her kidnappers'
machetes, and now she fears she may never fully regain the feeling in
them.
When
the travellers finally managed to run away, they were threatened by
wild dogs and hurt by poison ivy - but at last they found a friendly
local who raised the alarm.
Mr Iovane and Miss Clemens are now recovering from their ordeal in Port Moresby.
Papua
New Guinea Police said the pair were stripped of their belongings
including mobile phones, shoes, backpacks and 15,000 kina (£3,500) in
cash.
Local
assistant Police Commissioner Sylvester Kalaut told The National
newspaper: 'The male trekker was tied to a tree and the female was
repeatedly attacked before three of her fingers were chopped.
'The incident took place for an hour before they (trekkers) were set free.'
Police said at least two suspects carrying bush knives and spears were involved.
One of them was being held by villagers, The National added.
The
couple fled to a village and were taken to the lawless Pacific island's
capital Port Moresby, where they were given medical attention.
Australia's
Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed the attack and said the couple
were hiking without a licensed tour operator.
The
island of New Guinea is believed to be one of the world's last outposts
of cannibalism, with the most recent known case dating to 2012.
Thousands of native tribes, many of which are cut off from the rest of the world, live in the island's remote jungles.
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