An American tourist was killed instant by a horror electric shock from faulty streetlights in Thailand.

Thura Kyaw, 33, from New York, was walking to a restaurant with his girlfriend when he slipped on the mud-slicked pavement on the island of Phuket on December 5 evening. He grabbed a streetlight for support, but was fatally zapped from the electrified pole.

Dramatic CCTV footage shows passers-by rushing over to rescue the unconscious man. They administered CPR but could not revive him.

Police believe an exposed wire that had been frayed or damaged touched the wet metal making it become live. The tourist then touched the surface and was killed.

Police Major Thanom Thongpaen of the Thalang District Police Station said officers received a report at 9:30 pm. Medics arrived and rushed Thura, who had dual American and Burmese nationality, to the Thalang Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

Nok, a friend of Kyaw's girlfriend, said the man had flown in from America around a week ago to visit his long-distance partner, whom he has not seen in six years.

She said: 'I was eating dinner at the restaurant when they arrived. His girlfriend was walking ahead, and he slipped on the wet ground while following her.'

A local named Phiew said a customer informed him that someone had been electrocuted in front of the restaurant.

He said: 'I saw that the man had fallen, but his leg was still touching the pole. I tried to touch him but I was zapped myself. I managed to remove his leg from the streetlight before calling an ambulance.'

Officials from the Provincial Electricity Authority investigated the scene and found that the pole was leaking 220 volts of electricity. The power supply was temporarily cut off to prevent further accidents.

They advised the residents to call the Highway District Office for repairs.

Thailand is a rapidly growing country though it still faces developmental challenges such as outdated infrastructure, chronic flooding, traffic congestion, and air pollution.

Widespread corruption is also an issue hampering progress - with funds being siphoned to wealthy families or local officials instead of being spent on public services.

Researchers from Transparency International found in 2023 that 88 per cent of residents believe government corruption is a big problem in the country.