Terrified staff ran to safety as a thunderstorm battered a petrol station in Thailand.

Workers screamed in fear when a tropical storm slammed into the building with hail and strong winds in Mukdahan province on March 27 afternoon.

The powerful storm blew the metal roofing onto a truck and pushed a guard box at the gas station to the ground.

Staff Chalita Chunit said: ‘It happened so fast. We all ran for our lives when we felt hail falling from the sky and the strong wind hitting our bodies.’

The staff cleaned up the mess to have it ready for customers after the storm while many homes in the same district have also been damaged by the same storm. Authorities have yet to estimate the total damage.

No injuries have been reported from the incident.

Thailand’s Meteorological Department said the heavy rain was caused by a tropical depression over the centre of the Bay of Bengal.