This is the horrific moment a truck 'with faulty brakes' ploughed into cars leaving two dead and five injured in Thailand.

The orange 18-wheeler allegedly lost control and crossed a central divider, crashing into two other cars at an intersection in Nakhon Ratchasima province on April 27 morning.

Footage shows how the truck smashed into a black Honda Civic and a yellow Nissan pickup dragging the smaller vehicles across the tarmac into an electric post.

Police and rescue teams from the Chok Chai district rushed to the scene and found the driver and a passenger of the yellow pickup truck crushed to death. They were not named, but were said to be officials of the Department of Highways. Their remains have been taken to the Chok Chai Hospital for autopsies.

Meanwhile, the other crash victims Witoon Yangtalay, 46, Prawit Thongsom, 42, Namfon Pachai, 47, Joy Plodkratok, 52, Sompong Chansaen, 40, were injured and given first aid before being taken to the Chok Chai Hospital.

The driver of the orange Hino truck, labelled with the logo of the Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA), was identified as Mana Kamking, 45, while the passenger was Somchai Tidkratok, 43. They claimed that the truck's brakes failed to engage as they were crossing the junction, resulting in the deadly crash.

They were taken into police custody as investigations continue.

Somchai Heprakon, PEA Chok Chai deputy manager, said: 'The truck involved in the accident had a PEA sticker, but it was not owned by the agency.

'It is owned by Somtawil Engineering in Ratchaburi, who are responsible for constructing the electricity transmission system for PEA's region 2 in Ubon Ratchathani.

'We will be taking legal action against Somtawil Engineering for causing confusion by using our sticker without permission.'

Thailand has one of the world's worst road safety records. Ministers have set the goal of reducing fatalities from 32.7 deaths per 100,000 people to 12 per 100,000 people by the year 2027.

However, a lack of road safety education in schools, cheap loans for cars, notoriously easy driving tests, police failures to enforce road laws as well as endemic corruption and chronic under-investment in infrastructure hamper the efforts.