An injured bee-hunter was rescued after being trapped overnight on a cliff in Thailand.

Suchon Kleebkaew, 48, trekked deep into the woods in Nakhon Si Thammarat province with his friend Parinya Konghom to search for the rare wild cliff honey on March 17.

They carried torches as they travelled, before arriving at the peak at around 7 PM.

Suchon climbed up the rocky cliff, still carrying his torch to repel the wild bees, while Parinya waited at the base.

However, bungling Suchon dropped the stick he was using to poke at the hive, and had to use his torch to illuminate the undergrowth to find it. The torch then also slipped from his hand, setting alight the dried leaves and grass around him.

The flames lapped at his skin and injured him as he scrambled for shelter on the craggy surface, with Parinya rushing back to the village to call for help.

Rescue teams, rangers, and local authorities raced back to the forest to help the trapped bee-hunter after being notified.

They found him on March 18, severely exhausted having spent the night without food or water. The rescuers built a fire to drive the bees away as they rappelled up the 300ft cliff to reach Suchon.

The mission took almost 24 hours before Suchon was finally carried back down to safety. The skin along his arms, legs, and shoulders was blistered in burn wounds, and he quickly wolfed down a meal as he was given first aid.

He was later taken to the Thung Song Hospital for further treatment.