Thailand: 8 Buddhist monks killed after pickup driven by 11-year-old crashes into pilgrims

Posted on by Taiwo Adebulu

3 min readBangkokUpdated: Jul 2, 2026 07:01 PM IST

Eight Buddhist monks were killed, and 22 others injured on Thursday when a pickup truck driven by an 11-year-old boy crashed into a group of pilgrims walking through Thailand’s northeastern Mukdahan province, officials said.

The victims were among 34 monks and five lay followers from Mukdahan taking part in a 260-kilometre religious walk to a temple in Ubon Ratchathani province, roughly 600 kilometres northeast of Bangkok, according to Mukdahan Governor Worayan Bunnarat.

full video clips here


Thailand monk truck crash A survivor of the crash undergoes treatment. (Photo: Ruamjai Mukdahan Rescue Foundation via AFP)

Five monks died at the scene, and three more succumbed to injuries later in hospital, the governor said at a press conference. Twenty-two other monks and one layperson were also hurt in the crash; 14 of the injured were hospitalised, four of them in critical condition. The bodies of the deceased were taken to Mukdahan Hospital as officials worked to notify relatives.

Major General Pairoj Thaiphutra said the young driver had taken the pickup truck from his family’s home and driven about 10 kilometres before ploughing into the procession of monks. Police described the boy as having special needs but gave no further details.

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Investigation ongoing, no charges filed

Authorities have not filed any charges as the investigation continues. The child remains in custody but has not yet been questioned, as he is said to be in a state of shock; investigators plan to take his statement once state child protection officers arrive to assist.

Police are still examining what caused the crash. Preliminary accounts from monks who witnessed the incident indicate the truck was seen swerving before it veered off the road and into the group.

Thailand has one of the world’s highest road fatality rates.

More updates are awaited.

(With inputs from Reuters/AP)

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