This image is not related to the article. [123RF]
This image is not related to the article. [123RF]

A pickup truck driven by an 11-year-old boy plowed into a procession of Buddhist monks in northeastern Thailand, killing nine and injuring 23 others. Some of the injured remain in critical condition, raising the possibility that the death toll could climb. The boy has been taken into custody, though police have yet to formally question him.

According to AFP and the AP, the accident occurred Wednesday in Mukdahan Province when the boy lost control of a pickup truck and drove into the pilgrimage procession.

The boy had taken the truck from his home without his parents' knowledge before driving onto the road.

He had been behind the wheel for about 10 kilometers before losing control and causing the crash.

Thai police said nine monks were killed and 23 others were injured. Five died at the scene, while four more succumbed to their injuries after being taken to hospital. Four of the injured remain in critical condition, and the death toll may rise further.

At the time of the crash, 35 monks and five lay followers were making a pilgrimage from a temple in Mukdahan Province to another temple in Ubon Ratchathani Province.

A monk at the scene told rescuers he saw a boy driving a pickup truck approaching the procession. "Suddenly the truck came at full speed and hit us," he said. He added that he and one other monk managed to get out of the way in time. "The monks at the front of the procession survived, but the rest were thrown into the air," he said.

Mukdahan provincial police chief Pairot Thaiphatsa said authorities had seized the vehicle for forensic examination to determine the cause of the accident. He said police needed to establish who held legal guardianship over the boy before proceeding with legal steps, and that the boy's parents had been summoned to appear.

Pairot also said the suspect was a minor. Under Thai law, children under 12 are below the age of criminal responsibility and cannot face criminal punishment.

Thai police confirmed the boy was in custody but said they had not yet been able to question him properly, as he remained in a state of shock.

13-year-old caused motorcycle crash in Thailand years earlier

The incident is not the first time an underage driver has caused a serious accident in Thailand. In the northern province of Chiang Mai, a 13-year-old boy on a high-powered motorcycle once caused a crash that shocked local residents.

According to a July 9, 2019, report by The Nation, Thailand's deputy attorney general urged police to take action against the boy's parents in connection with that accident.

The boy had been riding a motorcycle near a market in San Kamphaeng district of Chiang Mai Province when he collided with another motorcycle carrying two women, then slid under a vehicle.

The motorcycle the boy was riding was traveling at around 150 kilometers per hour at the time of the crash. The boy survived but lost one leg. The two women on the other motorcycle were also injured. Video footage of the accident was shared online and drew widespread criticism.

The motorcycle involved was a high-performance 1,000cc model, the report said.


yul@heraldcorp.com