A FRENCH tourist who toppled from a third-floor balcony at a resort in Patong escaped with minor injuries, police said today.

The man, named as Darcy John Munytra, 21, landed in a tree that fell as though it had been axed, cushioning his fall into the grounds of the Patong beach Resort.

Colonel Weerapong Rakkito of Kathu Police Station, which oversees Patong, said the tourist appeared to have been drinking for some time before he tumbled from the balcony about 3.15am on Wednesday morning.

Mr Munytra was treated for an elbow injury and kept overnight at Patong Hospital before being discharged.