This is the terrifying moment a sinkhole that opened up on a road in Bangkok widened dragging electric posts into the abyss.

The pavement collapsed a second time while authorities were investigating the scene near a hospital on Wednesday afternoon.

Footage shows onlookers screaming as the ground gave way, swallowing more chunks of road and high-voltage electric poles.

Officers trying to winch fallen police vehicles evacuated as recovery operations were temporarily suspended.

The road collapsed in the morning due to the botched construction of an underground train line and a burst water pipe.

Miraculously, nobody is believed to have been injured. However, officials said 'two or three' police vehicles had been lost in the sinkhole.

Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt arrived at the scene at 8 am to assess the situation. He said recent construction from an underground train for the city's MRT purple line may have contributed to the collapse.

He said: 'Once the road was damaged, debris from the surface poured into the underground construction void, causing the area nearby to fall inside.

'A water pipe was damaged, causing a leak, which contributed to the issue. Nobody was injured, but damage to nearby buildings, including a new police station, is being assessed.'

Temporary Prime Minister of Thailand and cannabis campaigner Anutin Charnvirakul later arrived.

Police Lieutenant General Sayam Boonsom, commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, said the area was undergoing roadworks at the time of the collapse.

Officers said a damaged water pipe could have further caused the earth to weaken.

The police chief said: 'A preliminary assessment has found that construction activity may have caused the ground to sink and form a cavity underneath. The ground continued to subside.

'The area is being secured and investigations are ongoing into the cause, with several organisations working to assess the damage and the structural safety of the road.'