This is the terrifying moment an oil tanker ship lost control and crashed into homes along a riverbank in Thailand.

The vessel, named Chalakarn, suffered a jammed rudder before being pushed off course by the strong estuarine currents in Samut Prakan province on Saturday (April 3).

Passing trawlers tried to push the cargo ship away from danger without success. It lost control and began veering dangerously towards nearby homes.

Shocked residents screamed as the tanker towered over their small homes and smashed into the shore, destroying several properties along the city’s Chao Phraya river.

Footage shows how panicked locals fled, with some running to a nearby electrical tower to cut the power in case the ship damaged any cables or electricity boxes.

Terrified resident Namthip Phuengsai, 50, said: ‘I heard the noise of metal crushing something and people screaming.

‘When I came out, I saw this giant ship coming. My first thought was that I had to turn off the circuit breaker of the electricity transmission tower so I did that before running away.’

Wanna Thongsidaeng, 60, added: ‘My mother was bedridden and when I saw the ship coming, I had to carry my mother as far as possible. I left everything there just to save my mother.’

The ship’s captain is understood to have hurled anchors into the river to avoid a disaster. The combination of the anchors and a low tide at the time helped to stop the course of the vessel.

Thailand’s Marine Department later sent the officials to investigate the reason behind the incident. They are coordinating with the owners of the vessel to pay for damages.