A schoolboy was killed when he was swept away by flash floods that inundated a where he was swimming with his family.

Ashwin, 17, was playing in the water during a trip with his relatives to the Old Courtallam Falls in Tamil Nadu, India, on Friday afternoon.

A sudden burst of rain across the Western Ghats triggered flash floods triggered flash floods at around 2:30 pm local time.

Footage shows the sudden deluge gushing from the waterfall into the pool below, causing locals who had been visiting to flee in terror.

Nearby shopkeepers and several police rushed over to help as the water flooded the steps leading to the car park.

Among the chaos, it was discovered that Ashwin, a class 11 student from NGO Colony in Palayamkottai, had been swept away. He had been visiting Courtallam with his family.

Upon receiving the distress call, the Fire and Rescue Services, along with Collector A.K. Kamal Kishore and Superintendent of Police T.P. Suresh Kumar, arrived at the scene to initiate a search operation.

Tragically, at 5:10 p.m., Ashwin'slifeless body was discovered wedged between rocks 500 meters downstream from the waterfall.

Ashwin's devastated family have now started funeral arrangements while police have warned locals of the danger of visiting the waterfall during the approaching monsoon rainy season.

The Old Coutralam Falls are one of the most popular attractions in the region. They receive an average rating of 4.5 on Tripadvisor.