At least nine monks killed in Thailand after boy drives truck into procession | Thailand

An 11-year-old boy drove his parents’ truck into a Buddhist procession in Thailand, killing at least nine monks.

CCTV footage shared by a local rescue group shows the moment monks wearing orange robes were trampled as they walked in procession along the road. The timestamp on the images was shortly before 11:00 a.m. local time on Thursday.

The incident took place in the town of Mukdahan, in the northeast of the country, approximately 650 kilometers from the capital Bangkok.

A group of 34 Buddhist monks and five church followers made a pilgrimage from one temple in the province to another in neighboring Ubon ‌Ratchathani, said ‌Vorayan Bunarat, governor of Mukdahan province.

Images taken from the scene showed the injured lying on the ground and the monks’ belongings scattered along the road.

Buddhist monks are highly respected in Thailand, where more than 93% of the population is a follower of this religion. Priests often lead public processions and are commonly seen receiving goodwill alms from the public. Signs on public transport ask people to reserve seats for elderly and pregnant passengers, as well as monks.

Bunarat said that five monks died at the scene and three monks died in the hospital. The Mukdahan provincial office later announced the death of a ninth monk. At least three people were seriously injured.

Police said the boy took his parents’ pickup truck without permission and drove about 6 miles (10 km) before losing control of the vehicle and hitting the monks.

State police chief Maj. Gen. Pairoj Thaiphutra said police did not file any charges because investigators were still trying to determine the circumstances of the crash.

The officer added that officers had not yet been able to question the child because he was in a state of shock and could not give a statement.

Fatal transport accidents are common in Thailand, which has one of the world’s worst road safety records, including speeding, drunk driving and poor law enforcement enforcement.

Bunarat said: “We have been very meticulous about road safety in recent years. This situation should be a lesson not only for our city, but also for the public in general about preventing traffic accidents.

“I think everyone involved needs to help, especially the parents, because no one wants something like this to happen.”

Reuters and Agence France-Presse contributed to this report