Excuse me, may I squeeze through please?

But that's precisely what happened to tourists on a river rafting break in Henan, central China, reported People's Daily Online.

Incredible photographs released August 4 show hundreds of tourists trapped on the bank as there was simply no where to go.

Pictures show what looks like hundreds of tourists clambering on to densely packed river rafts that were docked in a reservoir area.

The rafts were so close to each other that they effectively formed a land mass and people just hopped from one to the other.

What made matters worse was that more rafts were being lowered into the water even as the boats were already doubling up.

Meanwhile, the late arrivals had to wait in the sweltering heat wearing all their safety gear.

Thousands of tourists were said to have flocked to the Yao mountain scenic area in Henan to escape the summer heat over the space of a weekend. 

However, the phenomenon is not a rare occurrence.

Similar scenes were seen this summer at various other rafting sites, such as Da Jue mountain in south China and Yuxi Rafting Park in Henan Province, according to the People's Daily Online.

More than 10,000 people flocked to Da Jue mountain for rafting breaks on August 1, but found themselves waiting for over four hours and unable to get onto a boat.

Overcrowding in the area even caused fights to break out.

Many tourists were offered free accommodation or had their tickets refunded as a result. 

(Daily Mail)