A BMW crashed into a KFC restaurant at a petrol station in Bangkok, causing extensive damage to the property and injuring at least 12 people.

Police and rescue workers called to the Bangchak petrol station on Sukhumvit 62 at around 7.50pm on 25 April found a bronze-grey BMW sedan lodged inside the restaurant after smashing through its glass front.

The injured included customers, delivery riders, restaurant staff, and the BMW driver. They were taken to nearby hospitals but none was in a serious condition, according to local media reports.

The driver was identified as 36-year-old Chinese national surnamed Chen, the Bangkok Post reported.

Investigators said the car had entered the petrol station to refuel and was waiting in a queue before it suddenly accelerated. It moved past other vehicles as the driver appeared to be attempting to reach a vacant pump or make a U-turn before losing control and crashing into the restaurant.

A cream-coloured Toyota Camry waiting near the front of the station was found damaged on its left rear side, police said. It was apparently struck before the BMW hit the restaurant.

Inside the KFC outlet, the accident left glass panels shattered and the service counter area, tables and chairs badly damaged.

Eyewitness accounts said people seated inside the restaurant and staff and delivery drivers standing near the service counter were hit, causing panic in the busy petrol station complex.

A KFC employee said the store manager called staff and told them to come to the restaurant urgently. The employee said they had initially believed it was only a routine crash outside the shop and had not expected the vehicle to enter the premises and injure workers, reported The Nation.

Police are questioning the driver and witnesses and reviewing surveillance-camera footage to find out the exact cause of the crash.