Eight monks were killed and fourteen others were hospitalized on Thursday when a pickup truck crashed into their pilgrimage group in northeastern Thailand. Officials said the truck was driven by an 11-year-old boy.
The monks, a total of 35 from Mukdahan province, were walking in a single line on the side of a road when the vehicle veered off the road and collided with them. Five monks died at the scene, and three others succumbed to their injuries at a hospital, according to Mukdahan Governor Worrayan Boonnarat. Four of the fourteen injured were reported to be in critical condition.
The pilgrimage group had begun their 260-kilometer walk to Ubon Ratchathani province approximately 30 minutes before the incident. Security camera footage shared by the Ruam Jai Mukdahan Rescue Association shows the monks walking along the roadside just before the crash.
Local police have taken the boy into custody. He will be questioned once state child protection officers arrive. The cause of the accident remains under investigation, though monks told police they observed the vehicle swerving prior to the crash.