Truck driver survives being electrocuted after steel bars loaded on the back touch overhead power cables

Truck driver survives being electrocuted after steel bars loaded on the back touch overhead power cables

This is the dramatic moment a driver survived being electrocuted after steel bars loaded on the back touched overhead power cables.

(Photographs added to the end of sequence) The trucker, Piya Wattana, was delivering the construction materials to a warehouse in Phuket, southern Thailand, when they snagged on the lines at traffic lights.

He had his pet cat inside the cabin - which also survive.

CCTV footage shows the driver suddenly realised his vehicle was stuck and tried to jump out of the cabin.

However, as he left he was engulfed in a ball of sparks from the electric shock but miraculously survived and rolled away with minor burns.

Speaking after, he said: "I stopped my truck to wait for the red light, and when I was about to go, I heard a loud noise.

I could feel the truck was stuck so I jumped out as quickly as I could.'' Piya was able to escape the truck, but the sparks burned his feet and arms. His frantic colleagues also escaped from the vehicle and hurried on the safe side of the road to shout for help.

Onlookers rushed to rescue the driver but the tire exploded, causing everyone to run away from the blast.

The injured driver rolled himself on the side of the road where passersby tended to him, while nearby shop owners extinguished the fire.

The District Electricity Authority cut off the electric power after the locals reported the incident.

The emergency unit rushed to the scene, giving the injured driver first aid before transferring him to the nearby hospital.

Thailand is notorious for its chaotic mass of black overhead cables found in cities throughout the country.