A Chinese tourist broke her leg and returned home in a wheelchair after a parasailing accident on a Thai island.

The female holidaymaker Han Bintong, 26, was gliding through the air and enjoying the scenic view at Karon Beach in Phuket when the accident happened on February 24.

Onlookers said the parachute spun out of control as she was descending from the sky, sending her on a tailspin toward the ground.

The chaotic landing caused Han to scream in agony as the shin bone ripped through her flesh and protruded from her leg.

Despite the urgency of her injury, the holidaymaker claimed she had to wait two hours to be taken to the hospital - before waiting another five hours to undergo surgery 'because the hospitals lacked equipment'.

Disgruntled Han has since returned to China following her operation in which a steel rod was inserted into her leg. She needed a wheelchair at the airport and will be unable to walk for several weeks.

She has now received 400,000 Baht (11,160 USD) in compensation following government pressure on the parasail boss, amid fears it could scare away tourists from cash cow China.

They are seen in the video carrying out safety checks on the beach today, February 29.

Han said the operators allegedly failed to orient her about safety measures as they rushed her into the parasail.

She added that when she tried to ask for financial compensation after the accident, they allegedly accused her of exaggerating her injuries for money.

She said: 'I requested a settlement of 200,000 baht after paying 150,000 baht in hospital fees, but the operators said they were only willing to give 50,000 baht. They also told me not to report the accident to the police and to delete all the videos I had of my accident.

'It was only after I showed my wounds that they relented and agreed to pay the bills.

'These people do not care about our lives. They see foreign tourists like us only as a source of income.'

Han claimed parasailing accidents were common in Thailand but were never reported on the news.

She continued: 'This makes this type of service even more frightening because after I broke my leg and was admitted to the hospital, they continue to sell this service to both Chinese and foreign tourists as usual. It's like no mistake has ever happened.'

Meanwhile, Thanapol, the speedboat driver involved in the accident, said staff always check the wind direction before each takeoff, but it was sometimes unpredictable.

He also denied that they made the Chinese tourist wait, saying: 'When I learned the ambulance would take a while because of traffic, I offered to drive her to the hospital myself, but she refused.

'We gave her first aid by wrapping a cloth around her wound to stem the bleeding.'

Following Han's online tirade, Natchapong Pranit, director of the Regional Marine Office's Phuket Branch, inspected licenses and equipment of parasailing operators at Karon beach on February 28.

He said: 'The speedboat involved in the accident is called Nong Pleng Pleng. We found that it has a valid license and insurance authorised by the Marine Department.

'We spoke with the staff, and they all reported the same sequence of events: the wind suddenly changed when the tourist was around two metres above the ground from landing, causing her to fall.'

Police Lieutenant Colonel Ekkachai Siri of the Tourist Police Division 3 said the parasail operators have since agreed to pay Na Da Han 400,000 baht in compensation.