KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 30 — A drunk Turkish man spent hours joining a search and rescue party before realising they were looking for him.

Beyhan Mutlu, from Inegol in the north-western province of Bursa, had been drinking with friends when he wandered off into the woods, Daily Mail reported.

When they were unable to contact the 50-year-old, his wife and friends decided to alert the authorities.

While roaming the woods, Mutlu met up with a group of rescue workers and volunteers involved in a search mission, unaware they were looking for him.

He then joined the group and inadvertently started to look for himself in the woods with the search party.

He only realised they were looking for him when one of the rescuers called out his name and he responded.

The rescue workers then gave him a lift home.

It is unclear if he was reprimanded for his actions.

A similar incident occurred in 2012 when an Asian tourist who went missing in Iceland was found in her own search party after she failed to recognise her own description released by police.