Boy driving truck crashes into group of monks, killing 8 and injuring 14

Eight Buddhist monks were killed and 14 others injured when an 11-year-old boy crashed a pickup truck into their pilgrimage group in northeastern Thailand on Thursday. The monks, from Mukdahan province, were walking approximately 600 kilometers northeast of Bangkok when the incident occurred.

According to Mukdahan Governor Worrayan Boonnarat, five monks died at the scene, and three more succumbed to their injuries at a local hospital. Fourteen monks remain hospitalized, four of whom are in critical condition. The group had begun their 260-kilometer walk to Ubon Ratchathani province only about 30 minutes before the crash.

Security camera footage released by the Ruam Jai Mukdahan Rescue Association shows the monks walking in a single file along the road before the truck veers off and collides with them. Local police have taken the boy into custody. They are awaiting the arrival of state child protection officers to question him.

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Then suddenly the truck hit at full speed and crashed us like this. 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.

Investigators are examining the cause of the accident. Witnesses from the monk group reported seeing the vehicle swerving before it left the road. One monk, Phra Sompong, described the truck hitting them at full speed. "Luckily another monk and I managed to jump out of the way in time," he said, adding that the first nine monks in line survived, but others were struck and thrown into the air.

Police Major General Pairoj Thaiphutsa stated that the truck has been sent for forensic examination. "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 told reporters. The incident has prompted calls for greater road safety awareness in Thailand, where Buddhist monks are highly revered.

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The suspect is a child. The vehicle has been taken for forensic examination to determine the cause. 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.