Eight monks die after child drives pickup into Thai pilgrimage

Eight Buddhist monks were killed in Thailand after a child drove a pickup truck into a roadside religious procession, police told Al Jazeera. The crash in Mukdahan province also left many others injured, including several monks in critical condition, according to police and health officials.

Police said the child, reported by media outlets to be 11 years old, had taken his parents’ vehicle without permission on Thursday before losing control and striking the group. The procession included about 30 monks walking as part of a pilgrimage in Thailand’s northeast, according to police.

The monks and lay followers were traveling along a road in Mukdahan, about 600 kilometers northeast of Bangkok, when the pickup hit them. The Associated Press reported that the group had begun a 260-kilometer walk to Ubon Ratchathani province about half an hour before the crash.

Police said five monks died at the scene and three others died later in hospital. Reports citing police and health officials put the number of injured people between 10 and 20.

Health authorities said four monks were in critical condition at Mukdahan Hospital and 10 others had serious injuries. Additional people were receiving treatment for less severe wounds, according to the same authorities.

Security camera footage released by the Ruam Jai Mukdahan Rescue Association showed monks walking in single file along the edge of a road before the pickup drove into the procession, according to Al Jazeera. Separate CCTV footage from a nearby property showed traffic passing the monks before a loud crash was heard and the procession came to a stop, the broadcaster reported.

One surviving monk, identified in a video posted by rescue workers as Phra Sompong, said he saw a boy driving the pickup toward the group while he was chanting. He said he and another monk were able to move out of the vehicle’s path, while monks behind them were struck.

Police said the boy was in custody and would be questioned after state child protection officers arrived. Major General Pairoj Thaiphutsa, commander of the Mukdahan Provincial Police, told reporters that investigators had taken the vehicle for forensic examination to establish the cause of the crash.

Pairoj said police had also asked the child’s parents to come in as officers determine who was responsible for his care and how the legal process should proceed. He described the suspect as a child, according to Al Jazeera.

Buddhist monks hold a revered place in Thai society and are often seen in public processions or receiving alms from residents. The monks in Mukdahan were taking part in one of those public religious journeys when the crash occurred, according to police and the AP.

This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.