A Belgian tourist was trapped inside his car after the aircon drained its battery while he was taking a nap.

Bert Roger Decker, 41, had travelled 12 hours from Thailand's northern province of Chiang Rai to Chonburi province, and decided to rest at a fuel station in Kamphaeng Phet province before continuing his drive on August 7.

However, he woke up at around 2 am local time to sweltering heat inside the red BMW, and found the car's battery had died, leaving him locked inside.

With oxygen quickly depleting, the Belgian frantically banged on the glass windows until he was finally noticed by a pump attendant, who called a rescue team for help.

Footage shows volunteers smashing open the window to free the terrified driver from the suffocating cabin.

They helped a panting Bert, his hair disheveled with sweat, climb out of the shattered window.

The operation took two hours as the team were initally reluctant to damage the luxury car. A locksmith later arrived to fix the locked car doors.

Bert was given first aid, with tourist police driving him to his destination.