A motorcyclist had a narrow escape when a long section of pipe fell off the Rama 9 overpass onto the road immediately in front of him in Bangkok late on Tuesday night.

Facebook user Chaimongkol Khantura posted a message and photos of the fallen pipe on his Facebook account.

He said the steel pipe plummeted to the ground in front of him when he was riding his motorcycle along Rama 9 Road around 11pm. If he had been going any faster it would have hit him and he would have been injured or even killed. 

The pipe fell onto a poorly lit area on Rama 9 Road.  

Anyawut Pho-amphan, a driver for the Ruamkatanyu rescue foundation, said he noticed motorists swerving to avoid something on the road. He drove closer and saw a large section of pipe had fallen from the overpass. He stopped, called police and turned on his warning lights.

Emergency units arrived at the scene and quickly set up warning lights and traffic cones, closing off two lanes of the road.

Police said an initial check found that clamps holding the drainage pipe broke, and a long section dropped to the road below. 

City Hall sent workmen to remove the damaged pipeline from the overpass. Officials said they would inspect drainage pipes at all overpasses in Bangkok for safety, before looking into the cause of the incident.