A devotee had a brass religious amulet removed from his throat after swallowing it during a ceremony in Thailand.

The man, 30, was kissing the Hindu god Ganesha figure while making vows, but accidentally choked on the coin-sized object when it slipped down his trachea on October 19.

He was rushed to the Surin Hospital, but was transferred to the Maharat Nakhon Ratchasima Hospital in Nakhon Ratchasima province around three hours away for further emergency medical care.

X-rays revealed that the amulet was lodged near the entrance of the man's right lung.

Anuchit Niyompatthama, a doctor specialising in respiratory illnesses, performed an endoscopy to locate the foreign object. Once its position was determined, Anuchit plucked it out of the devotee's windpipe using the pincers on the end of the camera device.

Gruesome footage shows how Anuchit carefully dragging the fluid-slicked object up the length of the man's trachea. The recovered statue was intact, but the gold paint coating had peeled off in some parts.

The operation took around five minutes to complete.

Anuchit said: 'I have removed many things from people's tracheas before like meatballs, dentures, and tamarind seeds, but this one is the strangest so far.

'It's not a good idea to put small inside of near the mouth. It can be a life-threatening situation if they are swallowed.'

Local media reported that the patient was monitored overnight and allowed to go home the following day after no complications were observed.

Buddhist Thais believe that small religious amulets like the one swallowed by the man are a source of power that can bring them good luck.