A Brazilian man has descended a 127ft waterfall in a kayak, breaking the world record.

Pedro Olivia took just 2.9 seconds and hit speeds of 70mph as he hurtled down the Amazon's Salto Belo falls.

The 26-year-old shattered the existing 108ft world record with his drop into the Rio Sacre river.

The descent was almost double that of Niagra Falls on the US border with Canada. Despite being 176ft high, the actual drop is only 70ft because of rocks at the bottom.

Olivia, 26, said: "It's a story that I will be telling for the rest of my life."

The former cinematographer was "braced for the worst" as he went over the edge, but "the massive impact never came".

© Independent Television News Limited 2009. All rights reserved.