A pickup truck was stuck in a flash flood as heavy rain hit northeast Thailand.

Footage shows the vehicle submerged in the surging brown waters in Nakhon Ratchasima on May 19.

Driver Lamai Lamsan said he was returning home after working in a sugarcane field when the flood swamped the rural road.

He said: 'I can't describe how I feel right now. I can only stand and watch. This is such an unlucky moment.'

The distressed villager said he and his passenger managed to escape the truck before it was battered by the strong currents. He returned to the area the following day to retrieve the mud-drenched vehicle.

Authorities said the deluge triggered evacuations as it reached up to 12 inches and damaged more than 10 houses in Ban Nikhom Samakkhi village.

Phimai district chief Siwasek Sinthoram was surveying the damage to provide assistance to residents.

Thailand and neighbouring countries in Southeast Asia are at the start of their annual monsoon rainy season which sees soaring temperatures followed by powerful rain storms. The rudimentary infrastructure often struggles with the deluge, leading to widespread flash floods.