A Polish tourist was saved in a gruelling five-hour rescue mission after slipping and breaking her ankle at a notorious waterfall in Thailand.

Monika Wasielewska, 37, was admiring the breathtaking scenery from the top of the Na Mueang 2 Waterfall on the island of Koh Samui when she lost her footing on the wet rocks.

She painfully snapped her right ankle, rendering her unable to trek back down from the tourist destination , where the hit TV series 'The White Lotus' was recently filmed.

Onlookers called the emergency services and a rescue team of volunteers, police, and Navy soldiers, was dispatched to the 660ft high cascade on March 10.

They placed the injured holidaymaker in a hammock, carrying her over surging streams and through the dense forest.

Local district chief Amorn Chumchuai said: 'The rescuers had to move quickly because night was falling fast. However, the terrain was difficult to navigate, and the tourist was quite heavy, so they took more than five hours to take her to the bottom of the waterfall. She was then rushed to the hospital for immediate treatment.

'We would like to ask for cooperation from tourists visiting Na Mueang 2 waterfall or risky areas to travel with caution and to follow the warning signs to prevent incidents that may result in loss of life and injury.'

Despite its beauty, the Na Mueang 2 waterfall has claimed the life of numerous tourists in fatal falls.

On November 9, Indian hiker Debjit Sreemany, 29, reportedly plunged off the summit while taking pictures. His body was found the next day snagged in tree branches and rocks after being washed by heavy rains to the base of the waterfall.

In December 2023, French tourist Ryan Meghan, 20, went missing while sightseeing with his friends at the cascades. The holidaymakers called the police when they found his slippers and phone at the edge of the water, with no sign of Ryan. His corpse was found a day later, lodged under a rock in the third tier of the waterfall pool.

While in May 2022, Romanian national Nane-Iosana Bodea, 23, died after plunging 20 metres (60 feet) off the waterfall. She reportedly slipped and fell into the water while taking a stroll with her Austrian boyfriend.