A passenger was killed and the driver injured when a truck crashed into an electricity pole and pulled down cables in Thailand.

Terrifying footage shows a white truck travelling at high speed in the opposite lane, swerving to its left before violently colliding with a utility pole on Nong Ho Road in Chiang Mai.

The impact caused the rear of the truck to lift into the air on September 9, around 3 pm.

The vehicle recording the incident came to a stop before several poles ahead collapsed, triggering sparks across the highway.

As the car reversed away from the scene, a single-storey restaurant could be seen on fire, heavily damaged by a fallen electric post.

Local media reported that passenger Boonrit Charoenwong, 27, was later pronounced dead at the hospital. The 24-year-old driver sustained serious injuries.

Boonrit was previously known for his participation in The Voice Thailand 2017.

Authorities confirmed that the crash damaged at least 52 utility poles, with several falling onto more than 10 houses, shops, and at least 10 vehicles.

Thongsuk Wongsopha, Manager of Provincial Electricity Authority Chiang Mai 2, said the incident caused a temporary power outage across several districts lasting around 15 minutes.

Response teams were mobilised to remove debris, beginning with the disconnection of tangled power lines before clearing the poles to restore traffic flow. The cleanup would likely continue through the night into the following morning.

Initial estimates placed the damage at no less than 20 million baht (464,787 GBP), accounting for the cost of each power pole - around 700,000 baht (16,267 GBP) - as well as damage to vehicles and buildings.

Despite being one of the wealthiest countries in Asia, Thailand suffers from chronic underinvestment in its highways and education, contributing to its poor road safety levels. Only a handful of African countries are worse.

Thailand has one of the world's worst road safety records. Ministers have set the goal of reducing fatalities from 32.7 deaths per 100,000 people to 12 per 100,000 people by the year 2027.

(1 baht = 0.023 GBP)