Officers rescued a lost tourist who was allegedly led astray by a mysterious woman in a forest in Thailand.

Authorities launched a frantic search for Sahasawat Khanngern, 28, when he suddenly went missing on June 27 while travelling with other holidaymakers in the Khun Dan Prakarnchon Dam, a tourist attraction in Nakhon Nayok province.

The group of nine domestic tourists had just finished visiting the Khao Chong Lom Waterfall and were headed home on a long-tail boat when the ferryman noticed Sahasawat still had not returned at the appointed time.

They called the police, believing he had gotten lost in the forest nearby. Rescue teams were dispatched to comb through the location, with both volunteers and boatmen participating in the frantic search.

Responders also managed to contact Sahasawat's mobile phone after obtaining his number from the Nakhon Nayok police, but the scared tourist could not pinpoint his exact whereabouts.

During the call, he reportedly said: 'I saw a woman beckoning to me near the big tree where people placed practiced traditional Thai customs, so I decided to follow her into the forest. However, when she disappeared, I realized that I was lost.'

He also pleaded for help to come sooner as he was exhausted, starving, and parched.

Luckily, he had a lighter on his person, allowing him to build a fire to use as a smoke signal.

After more than four hours, the rescuers finally spotted a column of smoke coming from a patch of woodland. They rushed towards the area and found a spent Sahasawat lying on the ground.

They administered first aid and carried him out of the forest. He is now safe and recovering from exhaustion in Nakhon Nayok Hospital.