Key takeaways:
- Eight monks were killed after an 11-year-old boy drove a pickup truck into a pilgrimage procession in Mukdahan province, Thailand.
- Five monks died at the scene and three died later at a hospital; 14 others were hospitalized, including four in critical condition, according to the provincial governor.
- Police said the boy took his parents’ pickup truck without permission and will be questioned when state child protection officers arrive.
An 11-year-old boy driving his parents’ pickup truck without permission crashed into a line of Buddhist monks on a pilgrimage in northeastern Thailand on Thursday, killing eight and sending more than a dozen others to hospitals, officials said.
The monks were walking along a roadside in Mukdahan province, about 600 kilometers northeast of Bangkok, when the truck struck the procession. The group had begun a 260-kilometer walk to Ubon Ratchathani province about 30 minutes before the crash.
Mukdahan Governor Worrayan Boonnarat said 35 monks from the province were taking part in the pilgrimage. Five monks died at the scene and three others died later at a hospital. Fourteen others were hospitalized, including four in critical condition, he said.
Al Jazeera, citing police and health officials, reported that 10 to 20 other people were injured. Health authorities said four monks were in critical condition at Mukdahan Hospital, 10 others were seriously hurt and more people were being treated for lighter injuries.
Security camera footage shared by the local Ruam Jai Mukdahan Rescue Association shows the monks walking in a single file on the side of a road before the pickup crashes into them. CCTV footage from a nearby property shows the procession moving along the road as multiple vehicles pass, followed by the sound of a loud crash before the group stops.
Police said the cause of the crash remains under investigation. They said monks told investigators they saw the vehicle swerving before it slid off the road and hit the group.
“I saw a boy driving a pickup truck, approaching. At that moment I was chanting ‘Buddho, Buddho’,” one monk, identified as Phra Sompong, said in a video posted online by local rescue workers, referring to a meditation mantra.
“Then suddenly the truck hit at full speed and crashed us like this,” he said, gesturing as he described the collision. “Luckily another monk and I managed to jump out of the way in time.”
“The first nine monks in line survived. But others who were hit were thrown into the air,” he said.
Local police said the boy is in custody and will be questioned when state child protection officers arrive. Police said he had taken the pickup from his parents before losing control and crashing into the procession.
“The suspect is a child. The vehicle has been taken for forensic examination to determine the cause,” Police Major General Pairoj Thaiphutsa, commander of the Mukdahan Provincial Police, told reporters.
“We’ve asked the child’s parents to come in so we can determine who is responsible for the child’s care, so we can go on with legal process,” he said.
Prayut Ruanthongkam, chief of Mukdahan City Police, told AFP by telephone that the child was an 11-year-old boy.
Buddhist monks are highly venerated in Thailand and are entrusted with preserving and passing on the Buddha’s teachings. They often hold public processions and are widely seen receiving alms from ordinary Thais.
Governor Worayan Bunnarat said the crash should serve as a warning about road safety.
“We’ve been very strict on road safety in recent years. This case should be a lesson not just for our province, but for the public in general when it comes to preventing road accidents,” he said. “I think everyone involved, especially parents, needs to help, because no one wants something like this to happen.”
Deadly transport accidents are common in Thailand, which has one of the world’s worst road safety records. Speeding, drunk driving and weak law enforcement are among the contributing factors.
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