The 8.30am crash, which involved seven trailer trucks, two pickup trucks and a car, occurred on the two-lane No 304 road (Nakhon Ratchasima-Na dee) in Tambon Bu Phram.

The pile-up started when a trailer truck carrying tapioca flour collided with another trailer truck, causing gas cylinders on the trucks to explode in flames.

Arthit Srisongchai, 39, the driver of the first truck, died at the scene. Sakijpong Khokpa, the driver of the second truck, was seriously injured. The female car driver was also seriously injured.

The crash caused a 10-kilometre traffic jam and police diverted motorists to other routes for about two hours until the accident scene was cleared.

An initial police investigation found the first truck had a brake malfunction while travelling downhill and it crashed into vehicles in both lanes.

The Highways Department has warned motorists to drive cautiously through the curvy, mountainous 12 kilometre section in Buphram. A section of the road is under construction to expand the lanes.