Dozens of Chinese tourists were rescued from a capsized boat in Thailand.

The 33 holidaymakers were sailing on the 39-ft catamaran, the Ameray 888, when they were battered by large waves off the coast of tourist island Phuket on January 13 afternoon.

Footage shows the passengers wearing life vests as they stood on one end of the half-submerged vessel, which sank some two nautical miles off Racha island.

The Tourist Police co-ordinated with the Marine Department and local volunteers to dispatch rescue boats to the scene. Rescue teams then arrived and took the tourists back to the shore.

An operations team with interpreters was at Chalong Pier to provide further assistance to the Chinese passengers.

A Tourist Police spokesman said: 'We are currently checking the legitimacy of the tour operator and the tour guides. The Chinese Consulate has been informed of the incident.'

The Thai Meteorological Department had issued a warning for strong winds and high waves in the Gulf of Thailand and Andaman Sea on January 13. A high-pressure system from China and a strong northeast monsoon were churning up waves up to 13ft in the region.