Three tourists were killed and seven injured in a fire that ripped through a packed hotel along the Khao San Road backpacker district in Thailand on Sunday night.

One female holidaymaker was burned alive as the flames spread through The Ember Hotel in Bangkok shortly after 9 pm local time. Two others were later pronounced dead.

Police said the injured people included Thai nationals and backpackers from Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom and China. Officers are still identifying the dead.

Footage shows how frantic staff evacuated 40 young holidaymakers from the hotel's rooftop bar before cherry pickers carried them down to safety.

Firemen fought their way into the building to the source of the blaze on the fifth floor while colleagues were battling the flames from outside.

The flames had killed one victim. They also found a female tourist and a male who were both passed out from smoke inhalation in their room.

Police Lieutenant Suwan Saiyeut of Chana Songkhram district station said officers arrived at the scene along with fire crews and paramedics.

He added: 'Tourists were treated for smoke inhalation. Fire crews also searched the inside of the building for anyone who was trapped.

'Some guests were able to escape to the lower floors, while others fled to the rooftop due to the thick smoke, where they were carried down by cranes mounted on fire trucks.'

Hotel bartender Pattarapol said that he was working on the sixth floor rooftop when smoke suddenly appeared.

He said: 'I tried to warn guests to evacuate but was only able to alert some of them.

'I'm shocked at experiencing such an incident for the first time. I feel fortunate to have escaped safely and I'm sorry for those who have died.'

Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt said he arrived at the scene with Theerarat Samrejvanich, Deputy Minister of Interior.

The politician praised the emergency services for their 'quick response' which he said 'prevented the fire from spreading further'.

A fire service spokesman added: 'At 9.26 pm, fire crews arrived at the scene of the fire at a six-storey hotel building.

'The fire was on the fifth floor. There were two people trapped in a room. One was a male and the other a female.

'Hotel staff helped 40 people from the roof of the building and fire crews entered to extinguish the fire. Smoke was filling all of the top floors.'

The fire has now been brought under control.

Khao San Road is one of the busiest areas of Bangkok, with thousands of backpackers filling the street every night.

Situated in the Banglamphu area, near the Chao Phraya River, it has become a destination for travellers from around the world.

Rooms in Khao San Road budget hotels can be found for as little as 200 Thai baht (4.68GBP) a night.