A tragic incident occurred in Thailand on Thursday when an 11-year-old boy drove his parents’ truck into a Buddhist procession, killing at least nine monks. The incident took place in the town of Mukdahan in the country’s north-east, approximately 400 miles from the capital, Bangkok. According to the governor of Mukdahan province, Vorayan Bunarat, a group of 34 Buddhist monks and five lay followers were undertaking a pilgrimage from a temple in the province to another in neighboring Ubon Ratchathani.
CCTV footage shared by a local rescue group showed the moment the monks, wearing orange robes, were run over as they walked in procession along a road. The timestamp on the footage was shortly before 11am local time. Images from the scene showed people lying injured and the monks’ possessions strewn across the road.
Buddhist monks are highly venerated in Thailand, where more than 93% of the population are followers of the religion. Monks often hold public processions and are widely seen receiving alms of goodwill from the public. The provincial police chief, Maj Gen Pairoj Thaiphutra, stated that the boy had taken his parents’ pickup truck without permission and had driven it for about 6 miles when he lost control of the vehicle and crashed into the monks.
Five monks died at the scene, three in hospital, and a ninth monk was later announced dead by the Mukdahan provincial office. At least three others were critically injured. Police have not filed any charges as investigators are still trying to establish the circumstances of the crash.
The boy remains in a state of shock and has been unable to provide a statement. Deadly transport accidents are common in Thailand, which has one of the worst road safety records in the world, with speeding, drink-driving, and weak law enforcement all contributing factors.
