One person was killed while three others were injured after an oil tanker exploded in Thailand.

Shocked locals heard the loud explosion at the IRPC port in Chao Phraya river in Phra Padaeng district, Samut Prakan province on March 9 morning.

Firefighters managed to control the blaze after 30 minutes while staff arriving for work were stopped from entering the factory port premises.

Authorities inspected and found it was the Thai national oil tanker named Smooth Sea 2 which was a 1,989-tonnes specialized marine vessel in the area between Trat Province and Narathiwat Province.

Crew member Rattaphum Rassanajan said: 'Before the explosion, the tanker carried 2.8 million litres of gasohol and 1.3 million litres of diesel.

‘After the oil was loaded up and the ship was just about to leave the berth, a loud explosion was heard in the middle, followed by another loud explosion where I saw fire bursting out.'

When the fire was extinguished, officers searched the area and found body parts - head, right leg, right arm, and left ankle - which were all unidentified.

Deputy Minister of Transport Atirat Rattanaset inspected the site and ordered relevant agencies to speed up the investigation on the cause of the explosion.

'About 200 households in the adjoining community have been affected by the fire, smoke, and vapour pollution. The company would also have to compensate them.'

Authorities are now checking the charred vessel for dangerous levels of oil or gas vapour but no oil spill had been reported so far. The area would be closed during the investigations.

The cause of the blaze was still unclear.