A British tourist broke her ankle in a horror plunge while hiking across a waterfall on a Thai island.

Hema Mehta, 45, from London, was walking along the Hin Lad Waterfall on the island of Koh Samui when she lost her footing on Thursday afternoon.

The middle-aged woman screamed in agony as her friends scrambled to call the emergency services.

Rescue teams arrived shortly after 6pm local time and strapped Hema to a stretcher before carrying her down the dangerous terrain.

Koh Samui district rescue chief Kampanat Klinsaowakhon said: 'We received an emergency call and learned that the injured tourist could not walk.

'The path to reach her was challenging, requiring us to navigate steep and narrow trails up the mountain.

'When we arrived she was in a lot of pain.

'In addition to the narrow and steep terrain, the rescue operation was further complicated by darkness.'

Officials said it took the rescue team around two hours to safely bring Hema down from the mountain before transferring her to Wattanapat Hospital Samui.

Hema is recovering in hospital from the ordeal before she flies back.

Rescue chief Kampanat added: 'Tourists should take extra care if they visit waterfalls, particularly where there are rocks and wet surfaces.'

Koh Samui is one the country's most popular holiday islands and has several picturesque waterfalls that visitors can walk around.

However, it has been the scene of dozens of deaths and accidents, with ex-EastEnders star Paul Nicholls spending two nights stranded on a waterfall in Koh Samui before being rescued and taken to hospital, where he stayed for several weeks in 2017.

In December last year, French backpacker Ryan Meghan, 20, was found dead after ignoring warning signs and falling from a nearby waterfall.

On March 24 last year, a 59-year-old Australian tourist also slipped on a rock and sprained her left ankle at the Hin Lad Waterfalls.

In July 2019, Spanish tourist David Conesa from Barcelona fell to his death at the same waterfall when he slipped while clambering down wet boulders.

Months later, in November 2019, French tourist Bastien Palmier plunged 260 feet to his death after ignoring warnings to take selfies at the idyllic beauty spot.

While last May 2022, a Romanian tourist Nane-Iosana Bodea died when she slipped while snapping photos at the Na Muang waterfalls nearby.

In December last year, British backpacker Joshua Kohler, 20, suffered severe head injuries and a fractured coccyx bone after ignoring warning signs to climb the 130ft high neighbouring Na Muang waterfall only to plunge down the slippy surface.