A pickup truck carrying dozens of crocodile carcasses crashed and spilled them onto the roadside in front of horrified drivers.

Shocked motorists called police after the reptiles scattered onto a grass bank in Kanchanaburi, western Thailand on Thursday (21/02) morning.

At the scene, the police found three injured men sitting beside an overturned Toyota Vigo pickup truck and 80 dead crocs.

The injured driver Ekachai Pasanee said him and his staff were delivering the crocodiles from a slaughter house to a customer but they were stopped by the accident.

He said: "While I was driving, the rear right tire came loose and it caused me to lose control of the car and crash.

"The crocodile carcasses that were loaded on the bank were thrown out and some of the local people here helped us to contact the police."

The delivery crew were treated by paramedics while police and passersby helped to scoop up the reptiles and put them next to the vehicle. The animals were being taken to a factory to be processed for their leather.

Relieved villages said they thought at first the crocodiles were alive and feared they would wreak havoc.

Apichai said: "I was driving by the crash site and was shocked to see all those crocodiles.

"I thought they were alive and was frightened so I called the police but after I realised they were dead, I came down and helped the police to move them.''