A female German tourist was rescued by fishermen after floating in the sea for six hours in Thailand.

Melanie Urnitwagen, 46, went for an evening swim but found herself lost in the darkness off Koh Lanta island in Krabi province on February 9.

The German backpacker said she was stranded for around six hours before a passing fishing boat arrived and rescued her.

Recalling her brush with death, Melanie said: 'Yesterday, I went to the beach and I went into the water and I swam near sunset, it was near 6 pm. I swam and swam, I saw the sunset, and after, I was in the middle of the sea and the sun was already down.

'It's dark and I saw the light from the boat and so my goal was to go to the light.

'But for swimming, it was difficult with clothes on. So for my life, I removed my clothes and I swam to the light. I think between 12:30 or 1 am, I arrived on the boat.

'I want to say thank you many many times. They also gave me a packet of cigarettes. Very nice, very helpful, thank you so much.

The relieved tourist also thanked the fishermen and local officials who rescued her.

She added: 'I feel very lucky to have received help from the Thai people. They took good care of me, gave me clothes, food and coffee. The people here are nice, friendly, and everyone smiles at each other. Thank you to the governor of Krabi, to the village headman, the police, and the teachers who helped me. I feel safe and very happy. Thank you for saving my life.'

Melanie said that a passing fishing boat spotted her and helped her aboard. Village council chief Sitthichai Bo Muang then coordinated with police to return Melanie back to her hotel.

Thai woman Arun, who dragged Melanie to safety, said: 'My crew were fishing for squid when they found the stranded tourist floating around 3.5 nautical miles from the shore of Koh Lanta. They pulled her onboard and gave her some food and drink.

'Seeing her safe, they returned to fishing until the morning, when they took the German woman with them back to shore.'

Beach drownings are a recurring safety concern in Thailand, especially in tourist hotspots like Phuket, Pattaya, and Krabi. The deaths often attributed to strong rip currents, lack of swimming skills, and disregard for warning signages.

The waters are most dangerous during the country's rainy monsoon season, when red flags are placed in beaches to warn of dangerous sea conditions.