An 11-year-old boy has driven his parents’ truck into a Buddhist procession in Thailand, killing at least nine monks.
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 on Thursday.
The incident occurred in the town of Mukdahan in the country’s north-east, about 400 miles (650km) from the capital, Bangkok.
The governor of Mukdahan province, Vorayan Bunarat, said a group of 34 Buddhist monks and five lay followers had been undertaking a pilgrimage from a temple in the province to another in neighbouring Ubon Ratchathani.
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. Signage on public transport asks people to provide seats to monks as well as elderly and pregnant passengers.
Bunarat said five monks had died at the scene and three in hospital. The Mukdahan provincial office later announced the death of a ninth monk. At least three others were critically injured.
Police said the boy had taken his parents’ pickup truck without permission and had driven it for about 6 miles (10km) when he lost control of the vehicle and crashed into the monks.
The provincial police chief, Maj Gen Pairoj Thaiphutra, said the force had not filed any charges as investigators were still trying to establish the circumstances of the crash.
Officers had not yet been able to question the boy because he remained in a state of shock and was unable to provide a statement, he added.
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.
Bunarat said: “We’ve been very strict on road safety in recent years. This case should be a lesson, not just for our province, but for the public in general when it comes to preventing road accidents.
“I think everyone involved, especially parents, needs to help, because no one wants something like this to happen.”
Reuters and Agence France-Presse contributed to this report
