A festival organiser needed his leg amputating when a gas canister he was using to fill balloons exploded.

The caretaker Oat Apichai, 60, was preparing for a Chinese New Year party at the Wat Sattahip Buddhist temple in Chonburi, eastern Thailand, by filling the red and gold inflatables with a homemade solution.

But the cylinder exploded, flinging him backwards onto the ground inside the car park on Wednesday morning.

Police and paramedics arrived and found the worker's limb several yards away while he received first aid from colleagues,

Police Captain Pongpisut Mahasetthaworakun of the Sattahip district station said the victim was taken to the Phra Nangchao Sirikit Hospital for treatment.

He said: 'Officers closed off the scene while awaiting forensic police for an inspection. They collected evidence.'

Police said that the caretaker had mixed caustic soda with water to fill the balloons with gas, causing them to float.

However, the gas cylinder, which was modified and old, might have been the cause of the explosion.

The security camera footage captured the moment of the explosion, which was blocked by a concrete wall and a truck, preventing more severe injuries to other victims.

Petty Officer Second Class Yutthana Buriran of the Navy said that he and his group were sitting at the back of the truck when they heard the sound of gas leakage.

He and soldier tried to search around but found no one filling gas, so he walked back.

After around five minutes, they heard the explosion, prompting him to stop his group from approaching the area immediately.

They found the injured man sprawled on the ground calling for help.