Young Boy Kills Multiple Monks with Parents’ Truck

An 11-year-old boy allegedly took his parents’ pickup truck without permission before losing control and plowing into a line of Buddhist monks in Thailand, killing nine and injuring 13 others.

The horrific crash happened Thursday morning in Mukdahan province, about 370 miles northeast of Bangkok, as 35 monks began a 160-mile pilgrimage walk to neighboring Ubon Ratchathani province.

The group had reportedly been walking for only about 30 minutes when the pickup truck suddenly swerved off the road and slammed into the procession.

Five monks were pronounced dead at the scene. Three others later died at a hospital, while officials subsequently confirmed that a ninth monk had also succumbed to his injuries.

Thirteen monks were hospitalized, including three who were listed in critical condition, according to the provincial administration.

Shocking surveillance footage shared by the Ruam Jai Mukdahan Rescue Association showed the monks walking in a single-file line along the side of the road moments before the truck barreled into them.

One survivor, identified as Phra Sompong, said he was chanting a Buddhist meditation mantra when he saw the pickup approaching.

“I saw a boy driving a pickup truck, approaching. At that moment I was chanting ‘Buddho, Buddho,’” the monk recalled in a video shared by rescue workers.

“Then suddenly the truck hit at full speed and crashed us like this,” he said.

Sompong said he and another monk managed to leap out of the truck’s path just in time.

“The first nine monks in line survived. But others who were hit were thrown into the air,” he said.

CCTV footage from a nearby property reportedly captured the monks calmly walking along the road as several vehicles passed. A loud crash could then be heard before the procession abruptly came to a stop.

Police said the 11-year-old boy had taken the truck from his parents without their permission and was believed to have lost control while driving.

Witnesses told investigators the pickup appeared to be swerving before it slid off the road and smashed into the monks.

“The suspect is a child,” Police Major General Pairoj Thaiphutsa, commander of the Mukdahan Provincial Police, told reporters.

“The vehicle has been taken for forensic examination to determine the cause.”

Police said the boy was being held and would be questioned in the presence of state child-protection officers.

Authorities also called the boy’s parents in for questioning as investigators worked to determine who was responsible for supervising him and how he was able to gain access to the vehicle.

“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 the legal process,” Pairoj said.

Buddhist monks are deeply respected in Thailand and are frequently seen walking in public processions or accepting food and other offerings from local residents.

Mukdahan Governor Worayan Bunnarat said the devastating incident should serve as a warning to parents and the wider public about road safety.

“This case should be a lesson not just for our province, but for the public in general when it comes to preventing road accidents,” he said.

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

The exact cause of the crash remains under investigation.