Tourists were swamped by floods as heavy rain fell on an island in Thailand.

Video shows backpackers stranded as powerful floods surged on the streets of 'Death Island' Koh Tao in Surat Thani province, on February 25.

Locals set up safety ropes in front of restaurants and shops to help pedestrians wade through the deluge.

Passakorn Boonyalak, director-general of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, said Surat Thani was among several provinces being battered by the torrential downpours this week.

The Thai Meteorological Department warned of more heavy rain falling in southern Thailand this week. The agency said residents should be careful of flash floods and forest runoff.

Waves in the lower Gulf of Thailand were forecasted to reach up to 10ft high during thunderstorms. Fishermen were urged to refrain from sailing.

Koh Tao is also known as Death Island due to the staggering number of unexplained deaths on the island. However, hundreds of thousands of tourists a year still visit the idyllic rocky outcrop with its crystal clear waters and breathtaking marine life.