A speedboat carrying dozens of tourists was rescued after getting stuck on a sandbank in Thailand.

The 42 holidaymakers were on a sightseeing trip but the bungling crew passed by the mound during low tide in Phang Nga province on April 17 afternoon.

Footage shows the tourists wading through the waist-deep water as their tour vessel was stuck between Takeng Hill and Nom Sao Hill.

The tourists tried to help the crew push the boat off the shallow spot until rescue arrived and pulled them with a rope.

Nattawat Nuisringam, head of the Phang Nga National Park, said the boat's operator did not have the correct paperwork to take tourists on trips.

He said: 'According to the investigation, Sawanu Travel's Cindy 1 boat applied for permission to operate tourism activities in the national park area, but it was still in the approval process at the time of the incident.'

The crew reportedly did not have enough experience with the route and were left trying to push the vessel off the sandbank for almost an hour before the rescue team arrived.

The park chief added: ‘To prevent similar incidents in the future, our staff shared their knowledge with the boat operator on navigating during low tide and avoiding getting stuck on sandbanks.'

No one was reported hurt in the incident.