At least eight Buddhist monks were killed Thursday in a road accident in northeastern Thailand after an 11-year-old boy driving his parents’ pickup truck struck a group of monks walking on a pilgrimage, authorities said.
The crash occurred in Mukdahan province, about 370 miles from the capital Bangkok. According to officials, 35 monks and five worshippers were walking along a road as part of a religious journey when the vehicle veered off course and hit them.
The scene of the incident in Thailand
(Photo: THE NATION/ASIA NEWS NETWORK)
Local police commander Pairote Thaiputsa told reporters that “the suspect is a child.”
Mukdahan Governor Worayan Bunnarat said five of the monks were killed at the scene and three others later died of their injuries at a hospital. Fourteen more people were injured and taken for medical treatment.
Police said the boy was taken in for questioning and that the circumstances of the crash were still under investigation. According to initial testimony given by monks to police, they saw the vehicle lose control before it left the road and struck the group walking along the roadside.
In Thailand, where most of the population is Buddhist, monks hold a high social and religious status and often take part in walking pilgrimages and ceremonial journeys. The deadly crash shocked the province, as authorities continue to investigate how the child came to be behind the wheel.