A father-of-three was electrocuted to death while trying to warm himself with an electric hairdryer during a wave of cold weather in Thailand.

Bedridden husband Jaising Suphasing, 39, was using the appliance as a makeshift heater in the rundown home where he and his family lived in Nonthaburi province.

He had fallen asleep with the blowdryer aimed at his legs, but was zapped to death when it reportedly short-circuited.

Jaising's wife Natthaya Ramsri, 37, who works at a barbecue restaurant, returned from work on February 2 afternoon only to find her spouse dead on the floor with severe burns across his lower body.

Local police said the freak accident happened in a zinc shed built near a construction camp. They found the deceased lying on his side with blisters and blackened flesh on his thighs, genitals, and abdomen.

They temporarily cut off the power supply to unplug the hairdryer, before taking him to a hospital for a post-mortem exam.

He is survived by his wife Natthaya and his three children aged 17, 14, and 7.

A grieving Natthaya said she last saw Jaising alive at 9:30 am that day.

The mother-of-three said: 'I brought some rice and water to his room that morning because he could not walk. I went out to work and returned in the afternoon, but he was already dead. He must have been electrocuted by the hairdryer.

'He has many chronic diseases like pulmonary oedema and heart disease. He used to get treatment at the Phra Nang Klao Hospital, but he hasn't been going lately because he's been unable to walk for the past three months. He always used the hairdryer to warm himself because his illnesses made him feel cold.

'I feel bad about it but I've been preparing myself for his passing. He has so many illnesses that I felt he wasn't long for this world. Even when he sleeps, he has difficulty breathing and he suffers from swelling in many parts of his body.'

Chatraporn Arunbut, an officer from the provincial social welfare office, said the struggling family will receive financial aid and housing assistance from the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security.

She said: 'It was found that the family of the deceased was poor and experiencing many hardships. We will provide assistance to the children in the amount of 3,000 baht, and will help them find a room to rent at a reasonable price so that they can rest properly and securely.'

'In the future, we will take care of a child protection fund to provide scholarships for the deceased's child. The assistance money can be requested thrice a year.'

Thailand is experiencing a spell of cold weather due to the La Nina phenomenon, the Meteorological Department said.

The agency forecasted that the chilly weather will persist in the country as a cold mass from China was expected to move into northeastern Thailand on February 3.