Houses collapsed as a sinkhole swallowed a road in a neighbourhood in Thailand.

Residents inside the two-storey house were alarmed when they heard loud cracking noises coming from the collapsing building in Samut Prakan province, at the edge of Bangkok, on November 10.

They fled out onto the streets as the structure slowly caved in and a 10-metre section of the adjacent road was swallowed by a gaping sinkhole filled with sewage water from a burst pipe.

Homeowner Naphatsorn Sinsawat said her family of five, including her 80-year-old mum, had been resting when they heard the sound of rainfall despite it being sunny outside.

She said: 'When I came out to look, I found that the walls of the house were beginning to crack. I screamed to everyone inside that it was collapsing. We hurried to help my mother out of the house. Two of my neighbour's houses were also affected by the sinkhole.'

She added that the family has not been able to retrieve their belongings for fear of the house collapsing on them.

The Bangpreang Municipality government has dispatched technicians and relevant personnel to respond to the incident. Electricity in the affected area has been cut off, while the road was also closed.

A resident, Somchai Jaichue, said the Metropolitan Electricity Authority had been digging underground at the site to place electric conduits for a nearby power station that was under construction. He said the residents had previously voiced their concerns about a possible collapse due to the project.

Meanwhile, another villager Montakarn Sitmanee, said the project contractor had reached out promising to take responsibility for the damages.

However, they were advised to find temporary accommodation, as compensation would take a long time.

Montakarn said: 'I feel bad for my mum. She was so shocked by this incident. We had just repainted the house as her birthday present. This project has been such a disturbance to our family because of all the dust and noise it has caused. I have raised several complaints, but none of them were addressed.'