An 11-year-old boy crashed a pickup truck into a group of monks on a pilgrimage walk in northeastern Thailand on Thursday, killing nine and injuring 13 others, officials said.
A total of 35 monks from Mukdahan province, about 600 kilometers northeast of the capital Bangkok, were on the pilgrimage. Five monks were killed at the site, while three others died at a hospital, according to Mukdahan Governor Worrayan Boonnarat. The office later announced the death of a ninth monk.
Thirteen were hospitalized with three in critical condition, according to the provincial administration.
The group started the 260-kilometer walk to Ubon Ratchathani province about 30 minutes before the crash.
Security camera footage shared by a local rescue group, Ruam Jai Mukdahan Rescue Association, shows the monks walking in a single line on the side of a road before the truck crashes into them.
Local police said the boy is now in custody and will be questioned when state child protection officers arrive.
The police said the cause of the accident is still under investigation, but said they were told by the monks that they saw the vehicle swerving before it slid off the road and crashed into the group.
Phu Manorom temple via AP 
“I saw a boy driving a pickup truck, approaching. At that moment I was chanting ‘Buddho, Buddho’ (a meditation mantra),” one monk, identified as Phra Sompong, said in a video posted online by local rescue workers.
“Then suddenly the truck hit at full speed and crashed us like this,” he said, gesticulating.
“Luckily another monk and I managed to jump out of the way in time,” he added.
“The first nine monks in line survived. But others who were hit were thrown into the air.”
Video shows monks walking before crash
CCTV footage from a nearby property shows the monks walking along the road, multiple vehicles driving past and then the sound of a loud crash before the procession stops.
Police said the boy had taken his parents’ pickup truck without permission before losing control of the vehicle and crashing into the monks.
“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 added.
Prayut Ruanthongkam, chief of Mukdahan City Police, told AFP by telephone that the child was a boy aged 11.
Buddhist monks are highly venerated in Thailand, entrusted with preserving and passing on the Buddha’s teachings.
They often hold public processions and are widely seen receiving alms of goodwill from ordinary Thais.
Mukdahan provincial governor Worayan Bunnarat said the case should serve as a wider warning on road safety.
Deadly transport accidents are common in Thailand, which has one of the worst road safety records in the world, with speeding, drunk driving and weak law enforcement all contributing factors.
“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.”
