Eight Thai monks killed after child drives truck into procession

Police accidental 11-year-old lad who took his parents’ conveyance without support is present successful custody and volition beryllium questioned.

Eight Thai monks person been killed and different radical injured aft a kid drove his family’s pick-up motortruck into a Buddhist procession.

The kid – who media reports said is 11 years aged – stole his parents’ conveyance connected Thursday and drove into a procession of astir 30 monks connected a pilgrimage successful Thailand’s northeastern Mukdahan, section constabulary told Al Jazeera.

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Reports said 10 to 20 different radical were injured, according to constabulary and wellness officials.

The radical of monks and laic followers were walking on a roadside successful Mukdahan, astir 600km northeast of the superior Bangkok, erstwhile the incidental occurred.

They had started the 260-km locomotion to Ubon Ratchathani state astir 30 minutes earlier the crash, the Associated Press reported.

Security camera footage shared by a section rescue group, Ruam Jai Mukdahan Rescue Association, shows the monks walking successful a azygous enactment connected the broadside of a roadworthy earlier the motortruck crashes into them.

“I saw a lad driving a pick-up motortruck approaching. At that infinitesimal I was chanting ‘Buddho, Buddho’ [a meditation mantra],” 1 monk, identified arsenic Phra Sompong, said successful a video posted online by section rescue workers.

“Then abruptly the motortruck deed astatine afloat velocity and crashed [into] us, similar this,” helium said, gesticulating.

“Luckily different monk and I managed to leap retired of the mode successful time,” helium added.

“The archetypal 9 monks successful enactment survived. But others who were deed were thrown into the air.”

A handout photograph by Ruamjai Mukdahan Rescue Foundation shows an injured monk arriving astatine Mukdahan Hospital aft a collision betwixt a pick-up motortruck driven by an 11-year-old and a procession of Buddhist monks [Handout/Ruamjai Mukdahan Rescue Foundation via AFP]

Five monks died astatine the country and 3 much aboriginal died successful hospital, constabulary said.

CCTV footage from a adjacent spot shows the monks walking on the road, aggregate vehicles driving past and past the dependable of a large clang earlier the procession stops.

Health authorities said 4 monks were successful captious information successful Mukdahan Hospital, and 10 others were earnestly hurt, portion much were being treated for lighter injuries.

Police said the lad had taken his parents’ pick-up motortruck without support earlier losing power of the conveyance and crashing into the monks.

Police added that the lad is present successful custody and volition beryllium questioned erstwhile authorities kid extortion officers arrive.

“The fishy is simply a child. The conveyance has been taken for forensic introspection to find the cause,” Major General Pairoj Thaiphutsa, commandant of the Mukdahan Provincial Police, told reporters.

“We’ve asked the child’s parents to travel successful truthful we tin find who is liable for the child’s care, truthful we tin spell connected with [the] ineligible process,” helium added.

Buddhist monks are highly venerated successful Thailand, entrusted with preserving and passing connected the Buddha’s teachings.

They often clasp nationalist processions and are wide seen receiving alms of goodwill from mean Thais.