At least nine monks killed in Thailand after boy drives truck into procession
✓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
Read the full story at The Guardian ↗ · BBC ↗
An 11-year-old boy in Mukdahan province, Thailand's north-east, drove his parents' pickup truck into a Buddhist procession on Thursday morning, killing at least nine monks and critically injuring three others. The boy had taken the vehicle without permission and lost control approximately 6 miles into the drive. Police have not yet filed charges as the investigation continues; the child remained too traumatised to provide a statement. The procession involved 34 monks and five lay followers undertaking a pilgrimage between temples. Thailand has consistently high rates of fatal road accidents, attributed to speeding, drink-driving and enforcement gaps. Provincial officials have called the incident a lesson in road safety for families and the public.
Read the full story at The Guardian ↗ · BBC ↗
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
Read the full story at The Guardian ↗ · BBC ↗
An 11-year-old boy drove his parents' pickup truck into a Buddhist procession in Mukdahan province, Thailand, on Thursday morning At least nine monks were killed and three others critically injured in the collision The boy had taken the truck without permission and lost control after driving approximately 10 kilometres CCTV footage captured the moment the monks were struck The procession comprised 34 monks and five lay followers on pilgrimage between temples Police have not filed charges while investigators determine the crash's circumstances The boy remained in shock and unable to provide a statement to officers Thailand has one of the world's worst road safety records This incident should serve as a lesson for road safety prevention Parents and the public bear responsibility in preventing such accidents
Read the full story at The Guardian ↗ · BBC ↗
- An 11-year-old boy in Thailand drove his parents' truck into a Buddhist procession, killing at least nine monks and injuring three others
- The incident occurred in Mukdahan province in Thailand's north-east; the boy had taken the vehicle without permission and lost control after driving about 6 miles
- Police have not filed charges while investigators establish circumstances; the boy was in shock and unable to be questioned
- Thailand has one of the world's worst road safety records, with speeding, drink-driving and weak enforcement cited as factors