A tourist drowned after plunging 250ft down a notorious Thai waterfall - after ignoring warnings and trying to take pictures.

Radwan Sbih, 27, was with three friends at the the top of the treacherous Na Mueang waterfall on Koh Samui.

Radwan, from Jerusalem, clambered over rocks to take pictures of the idyllic scenery but lost is footing after slipping on the wet surface. The holidaymaker’s friends watched in horror as he was swept away by the raging waters - deadly after weeks of heavy rain.

Radwan’s body was repeatedly smashed into jagged rocks and held under the water before it came to rest trapped in the rapids some around 1,000ft down stream.

The emergency services arrived and spent more than an hour using ropes and ladders to reach Radwan's body and pull it from the water but the tourist, a keen motorcyclist and quad biker, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Rescue worker Patipong Kaewpetch said: ''The emergency call was received on Friday at 2.41pm. A foreigner had fallen into the Na Mueang waterfall. In this case they had walked across the river to go to photograph the area. A flash flood had also recently caused a strong flow of water. The man fell into the river and disappeared while his two friends were watching.''

The breathtaking waterfalls on the popular holiday island attract tourists from around the world. But they are also dangerous. In July, Paul Nicholls was injured at a nearby waterfall while a second British tourist Luke Scott narrowly survived plunging down the same beauty spot.