(Adnkronos) – Eight Buddhist monks have been killed and ten injured in northeastern Thailand after a pick-up truck, driven by an 11-year-old child, ran them over while they were in procession. The group, consisting of 35 monks and five lay devotees, was walking along a road on pilgrimage in Mukdahan province when the accident occurred. According to the police, five monks died on the spot and another three died in hospital from their injuries. The boy reportedly took the pick-up without permission, lost control of it, and crashed into the monks.
Quoted by the BBC, police general Pairoj Thaiphutsa explained that the causes of the accident are still under investigation and that the pick-up truck has been seized. “We have asked the child’s parents to come forward so that we can establish who is responsible for his care, so that we can proceed with legal action,” he stated. Mukdahan hospital has launched an appeal for urgent blood donations to help the injured monks. Four of them are in critical condition and another ten are seriously injured. Health authorities reported that many others are being treated for minor injuries.
