Ten Buddhist monks were killed and more than 10 others injured on 2 July after an 11-year-old boy drove a pickup truck into the group of monks who were undertaking a pilgrimage walk in northeastern Thailand.
The crash took place in Mukdahan Province, about 600 kilometers northeast of Bangkok, as 35 monks were walking on a 260-kilometer pilgrimage to Ubon Ratchathani Province. The group had begun the journey about 30 minutes before the collision, according to a report by the Associated Press. Five monks died at the scene and five others later died in hospital, while one person remained in critical condition.
“The driver, an 11-year-old boy with special needs, took the pickup truck from his family home and drove about 10 kilometers before hitting the group of monks,” said Mukdahan provincial police chief Maj. Gen. Pairoj Thaiphutra. (Reuters)
Police said the boy was in custody and that the cause of the incident was under investigation. Officers said that monks in the group reported seeing the vehicle swerving before it slid off the road and struck them. Police also said the boy’s parents could face negligence charges.
Security camera footage shared by the Ruam Jai Mukdahan Rescue Association showed the monks walking single file along the roadside before the truck struck the group. The footage was widely shared by Thai and international media, although the authorities have not yet released a full account of how the boy obtained access to the vehicle.
Earlier reports from provincial officials had placed the death toll at eight or nine. The Associated Press later reported that 10 monks had died, citing the provincial administration.
Mukdahan is located in Thailand’s northeastern Isan region, near the border with Laos. The province is one of Thailand’s smaller and less densely populated provinces, and the surrounding region is among the country’s poorest. The monks were reportedly walking along a roadside as part of a traditional Buddhist pilgrimage, a practice that remains common in Thailand, where Buddhist monks are widely respected and frequently receive offerings from lay supporters.
The crash drew renewed attention to Thailand’s road safety record. The World Health Organization said that, according to its fifth Global Status Report on Road Safety, Thailand had a road traffic death rate of 25.4 per 100,000 people in 2021, among the highest rates in Asia and among upper-middle-income countries. The WHO estimated 18,218 road traffic deaths in Thailand that year, an average of about 50 per day.
The WHO also ranked Thailand ninth among 175 member countries for road traffic deaths. Motorcyclists accounted for 83.8 per cent of the country’s traffic deaths in 2021, and people aged 15–29 were among those most affected.
Following the crash, Mukdahan governor Vorayan Bunarat said the incident should serve as a reminder of the need for public vigilance and parental responsibility.
“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.” Bunarat said. “I think everyone involved, especially parents, needs to help, because no one wants something like this to happen.” (The Guardian)
The Thai authorities had not announced whether formal charges would be filed against the boy or his parents. Police said the investigation was continuing.
In Thailand, where more than 90 per cent of the population identifies as Buddhist, monastics are a regular site in public and in temples. The kingdom has some 40,000 Buddhist monasteries with almost 300,000 Buddhist monks.
See more
Thailand: Child crashes vehicle into group of monks (DW)
Eight monks killed in Thailand after 11-year-old boy crashes truck (Reuters)
At least nine monks killed in Thailand after boy drives truck into procession (The Guardian)
Nine Thai monks killed after 11-year-old driver collides with procession (BBC)
Boy, 11, crashes truck into Thai monks, killing 10, injuring 13 (AL)
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