Pickup truck swept away by raging flood in northern Thailand

This is the dramatic moment a pickup truck was swept away by a raging flood in northern Thailand.

Weerachai Saengthong-aram, chief of the Wiang Tai Subdistrict Administrative Organisation, rode the vehicle to survey floods swamping Mae Hong Son province on September 25.

However, a sudden surge of water eroded the riverbank, plunging the pickup into the fast-flowing currents of the Pai River.

Footage shows the swollen river washing away the pickup truck while its engine was still on.

Chief civil engineer Nataphol Mayupun, who had accompanied the government official to monitor the flooding, said: 'Both of us were able to leave safely, but we couldn't salvage the pickup. It must have been swept far away downstream.'

Stranded tourists were rescued from flooded resorts in Mae Hong Son after the Pai River spilled over into nearby districts following heavy rain.

Thailand and neighbouring countries in Southeast Asia are in their annual monsoon rainy season which sees soaring temperatures followed by powerful rain storms in the afternoon leading to widespread flash floods.