A Russian tourist leapt to his death while climbing the outside of a Buddhist temple pagoda on a holiday island in Thailand.

The unnamed male holidaymaker sparked panic when he clambered onto the roof of religious building called Wat Chaithanaram or Wat Chalong in Phuket at around 5:30 pm on July 7.

Police and rescue volunteers arrived at the temple urging him to climb back down, but the tourist refused to hear their pleas and remained seated.

Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew and local officials later rushed to the site and had safety cushions prepared.

At around 8:27 pm, the rescue team finally charged at the man, attempting to drag him away by force.

Dramatic footage shows the tourist struggling and kicking against the rescue workers who were wrestling him away from the tiled roof. He then let go of his perch and leapt from the height, flailing in the air as he plunged onto the safety cushions below.

Despite the security measures prepared, the man sustained serious injuries and was rushed to the Vachira Phuket Hospital.

Doctors were resuscitating him, but his heart was reported to have stopped beating on Saturday morning, July 8. His body will undergo a post-mortem exam to find the cause of death.

Officials were coordinating with the Russian Embassy to contact the tourist's relatives and make arrangements for the repatriation of his body.

The Wat Chalong temple was open to tourists on Saturday.

Police Colonel Ekarat Plaidung, the superintendent of Chalong Police Station, said: 'Every sector involved in the rescue operation had exerted their utmost efforts to save the tourist. But the incident resulted in an unfortunate outcome.

'The rescue staff followed the standard procedures of rescue and negotiation, from attempting to communicate with the tourist to eventually resorting to charging at him.

'A drug test has been conducted, and the results will take 5-7 days to process. We are also contacting the tourist's relatives to find a possible motive for him climbing the temple.'