An American tourist and his Thai girlfriend were killed in a horror motorbike crash along a notorious road in Pattaya.

Larry Sylvester Bermudez, 40, from Florida, and his Thai partner, Ketsarin Linjee, 31, were riding a Yamaha R7 big bike when they lost control along Jomtien Second Road early morning today.

The couple smashed into streetlights on the median strip before they were thrown onto the pavement, where rescue workers found their mangled bodies at 7:16 am local time.

Larry was lying face down in a pool of blood with a fatal chest wound, while Ketsarin was critically injured and struggling to breathe. Medics desperately tried to revive her, but she later died from her wounds.

Their motorbike was found around 20 metres (66ft) away, damaged after skidding across the road.

Bits of blood and flesh were also found on the streetlight bolts, police said.

Police have cordoned off the area for investigation.

Police Colonel Anek Srathongyoo, superintendent of Pattaya City Police Station, said: 'Officers are reviewing CCTV footage from along the road to determine the cause of the crash.

'The bodies were taken to Pattaya Bhattamakun Hospital, and their relatives are being contacted to claim them for funeral arrangements.'

An onlooker said he was driving along the road when he came upon the wreckage. He said the pair may have lost control at the bend, notorious for being an accident-prone spot where numerous fatal crashes have occurred.

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.

However, a lack of road safety education in schools along with notoriously easy driving tests, police failures to enforce road laws, and chronic under-investment in infrastructure, all appear to hamper the efforts.