Posted on 07/04/2026 4:59:22 AM PDT by xxqqzz
Nine Buddhist monks were killed and several others in their procession injured when they were hit by an 11-year-old boy driving his parents' pickup truck in north-east Thailand, police said.
The group of 35 monks and five lay followers were walking along a road in Mukdahan province during a pilgrimage when the incident occurred.
Footage posted online shows saffron robes and belongings scattered by the roadside, and a wrecked vehicle. Five of the monks died at the scene and four others later in hospital, according to police.
They said the boy took the pickup without permission before losing control and crashing into the monks, according to Agence France-Presse.
Police Major General Pairoj Thaiphutsa said they were still determining the legal process for the boy going forward.
"The suspect is a child. The vehicle has been taken for forensic examination to determine the cause," he said.
Later, Thaiputsa told BBC Thai the boy was still being cared for by a team of officials, including his guardians and his doctor.
Preliminary information indicates that he is a child with special needs, but no further details are available yet, Thaiputsa said.
Mukdahan Hospital has appealed for urgent blood donations to help the injured monks.
Three monks remain in a critical condition and at least five others were seriously hurt. More are being treated for lighter injuries, health authorities said.
Phra Sompong, who was a monk in the group, said he was chanting the meditation mantra "Buddho, Buddho" before the crash happened.
"I saw a boy driving a pickup truck approaching ... then suddenly the truck hit at full speed and crashed us," he said in a video posted online by local rescue workers.
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.com ...
He mustve gotten his drivers license in california
One cannot these days not think this was deliberate.
By the time I was 11, I’d been driving around the ranch for two years, and had even driven several miles into town and back once. Point being, an 11 year old is quite capable of handling a vehicle.
Was his ‘special need’ homicidal mania?
I don’t think ‘Sudden Jihad Syndrome’ is common in northern Thailand.
Sadly enough, Thailand does have multi-decade muslim problem: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Thailand_insurgency
Yes, but as the link says - that’s generally southern Thailand and this story says Northeast (although I confess to not having looked at the map myself).
OK, looked. It borders Laos along the Mekong river.
Judging the damage to the truck, he had a lot of speed on impact.
Judging by the damage to the truck, he had a lot of speed on impact.
Killed nine....wounded many....he was traveling, alright.
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The careless people who didnt keep control of him need to be punished, as well.
My friend and I were driving the mustang down the road to the beach at 12.
You’re smart enough to get the engine started you know to put on the brakes
Deliberate
Is Thailand the Florida of east Asia?
The minimum driving age in Thailand is 18, 15 for small motorcycles. The minimum employment age is 15, so he couldn’t have been driving it for work on private property.
Don’t know if his parents let him drive it on private property, maybe a farm. Did he take his parents’ truck or steal a truck?
In the US, the parents and / or whoever helped him drive would probably be arrested.
This has nothing to do with muslims. The accident happened in Northeast Thailand in a province that borders Laos.
I have seen very little reporting on the kid, other than his age and that he “stole” the family car. Other reports were that he drove it often.
Death toll is now 12 monks.
“By the time I was 11, I’d been driving around the ranch for two years, and had even driven several miles into town and back once.”
By the time I was 8 I was able to sit in the driver’s seat of the family car and look through the windshield. We lived in a hilly suburb of Seattle. The car was parked facing downhill. Front wheels were NOT turned to the curb.
I was in the driver’s seat playing with the steering wheel.
Car was manual transmission, 4-on-the-column, was NOT in gear - I had put it into, “Neutral.”
Now for SOME unknown reason I decided to disengage the Emergency Brake ( I had seen my mom use it numerous times and knew how it moved but I had NO idea WHAT it was for - it was a TOY just like the gear shift lever ).
I immediately headed DOWNHILL at an ALARMING rate of speed!
I was WHITE-KNUCKLING the steering wheel with both hands. I was STILL accelerating!!! My legs were NOT long enough to reach the brakes - as IF I knew WHAT they were for!
After about 50 yards of THIS I heard Clint Eastwood say, “LEFT-TURN Clyd.” Travelling in a straight line wasn’t working for me, I pulled as hard as I could into a left turn.
When our family lived in Sri Lanka we lived very close to the Horse Race Track in Colombo. I used to ride a lot. I learned if a horse takes off on you what you do is to make a HARD pull on the reins on one side of the horse’s neck to turn his head and to slow the horse down, get it to go in small circles until you can control it.
I went off the street, DOWN an embankment and into the side of a HOUSE!!
Point being, an 8 year old is quite incapable of handling a vehicle.
I drove a motorcycle in Thailand and Taiwan. Traffic lights are for decorative purposes only.
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