The jungle-choked remains of a "lost city", abandoned by a mysterious civilisation several centuries ago and long fabled for reports of its gold and "monkey children", have been uncovered in the depths of the rainforests of Honduras.

A team of American and Honduran archaeologists, aided by the bushcraft and survival skills of former British SAS soldiers, has just emerged from one of the most remote locations on Earth with news of their stunning discovery.

The expedition was seeking the site of the legendary "White City", also known as the "City of the Monkey God", a goal for Western explorers since the days of the Spanish conquistadores in the 16th century.

The city, believed to be one of many lost in the Mosquitia jungle, was home to an unknown people that thrived a thousand years ago but then vanished without trace – until now.

Unlike the Maya, so little is known of this pre-Columbian culture that it does not even have a name.