An oarsman drowned in a river after crashing into a bridge pillar during a boat race in Thailand.

Purithat Bunphat, 21, was found dead along the Wang Pla river in Chumphon province in the south of the country on November 6.

He and other representatives had joined an inter-village longboat race, but lost control and slammed into the concrete wall of a dam.

The impact wrecked the boat and powerful currents, made worse by recent heavy rain, dragged him under.

Footage shows spectators calling for help as the raging water swept away bits of wreckage following the crash.

Onlooker Ploy Kittipon said: 'The moment the boats crossed the finish line, one of them crashed into a wall beside the dam, destroying the entire boat and throwing the men into the water.'

Other oarsmen managed to swim towards a bridge to be hoisted to safety, but Purithat - too exhausted after the race - was carried away by the torrent.

A villager named Gomet tried to chase after him along the banks, but Purithat could not be reached in time.

Pairat Singprom, deputy inspector general of the Thung Tako district police station, said: 'The race was supposed to take place from November 6 to 8, but this tragedy happened on the very first day.

'We searched for Purithat's body in the water for hours, but to no avail.'

The officer added that grieving relatives had lit incense sticks and prayers before the man's body turned up some 50 metres away from the crash site.

Bereaved relatives were devastated when Purithat's corpse was retrieved, with some of them collapsing from grief.

Rescuers have taken his remains to the Thung Tako Hospital for an autopsy.