A landslide has caused the closure of a major road following heavy rains in southern Thailand.

Chunks of soil slipped down Patong Hill in Phuket on October 19, rendering the road too dangerous to drive over.

Part of the highway's westbound lane heading to Patong crumbled as rain-soaked earth tumbled down the slope.

No injuries have been reported, but the incident caused traffic chaos as police redirected vehicles and closed off the route.

Phuket governor Narong Woonciew said: ‘We'll be closing the road since it's still raining. We don't know if there will be other landslides or if anything else will fall and endanger the people.

'It should take officials seven days after the rain ceases to temporarily fix the route and let vehicles pass, but permanent repairs would take around six months.

'We will fix it as soon as possible since the route is one of the busiest in Phuket and travel season is fast approaching.'

A heavy rainfall warning was raised over the province on October 19, with meteorologists warning of flash floods and landslides until October 22.

Local media said the inclement weather was caused by the monsoon trough dumping rains on the coast along the Andaman Sea.