Eight Thai monks killed as 11-year-old boy crashes pickup truck into pilgrimage walk | World News

An 11-year-old boy crashed a pickup truck into a group of monks on a pilgrimage walk in northeastern Thailand on Thursday, killing eight, officials said.

Five monks died at the scene, while three others later died in hospital, Vorayan Bunarat, governor of the Mukdahan province, said at ​a press conference.

Another 22 monks and one other person ​were injured. Four of those are now in critical ‌condition.

“The ⁠driver, an 11-year-old boy with special needs, took the pickup truck from his family home and drove about 10km (6 miles) before hitting the ​group of monks,” ​said Major ⁠General Pairoj Thaiphutra, the Mukdahan provincial police chief.

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The victims were part of a ​group of 34 Buddhist monks and five ​lay followers on a pilgrimage from a temple ⁠in the Mukdahan province to another in neighbouring ​Ubon Ratchathani province, Bunarat said.

The group had started the 260-kilometre walk around 30 minutes before the incident.

Security camera footage shared by a local rescue group shows the monks walking in a single line on the side of a road before the vehicle crashes into them.

The boy is now in custody and will be questioned when state child protection officers arrive, local police said. They added that he remains in a state of shock and is unable to provide a statement.

The cause of the accident is under investigation.