Death toll rises to 10 after child driver crashes into Buddhist monks on pilgrimage in Thailand
An 11-year-old boy allegedly driving a family pickup truck struck a procession of Buddhist monks walking a tudong pilgrimage in northeastern Thailand on Thursday, killing 10 and injuring more than a dozen others, as police investigate and Buddhist communities abroad send condolences.
- Ten Buddhist monks were killed during a pilgrimage after a pickup truck struck their procession.
- Police said the vehicle was allegedly driven by an 11-year-old boy and investigations are continuing.
- More than a dozen monks were injured as Buddhist communities expressed condolences worldwide.
A pickup truck allegedly driven by an 11-year-old boy ploughed into a line of Buddhist monks walking a pilgrimage route in Mukdahan province, northeastern Thailand, on Thursday, killing 10 people and injuring more than a dozen others, provincial officials said.
The collision took place at about noon local time on a roadside in Ban Na Si Nuan, Mueang district, as a group of 34 monks and five lay followers walked from Mukdahan town towards Ubon Ratchathani province on a 260-kilometre (161-mile) tudong pilgrimage. The group had set out roughly 30 minutes before the crash.
Five monks died at the scene and three more died in hospital shortly afterwards, an initial toll of eight. The toll later rose to 10 as two further monks succumbed to their injuries, according to the provincial administration. Thirteen injured monks were taken to nearby medical facilities, including Mukdahan Hospital, for emergency treatment, with one reported to be in critical condition. Authorities said several of the injured had sustained serious injuries.
Emergency responders, police officers and medical personnel were dispatched to the scene after reports that a vehicle had struck the procession. Rescue teams from Ruam Jai Mukdahan Rescue, the Mukdahan Charity Foundation, Mukdahan Hospital and traffic police were among those who attended, and rescue workers reported finding injured monks lying on and beside the road.
A highway police officer who arrived at the scene said he had initially believed the incident was part of an emergency response exercise, before realising the scale of the collision and coordinating with local police, hospitals and rescue workers.
Security footage shows moment of impact
Security camera footage shared by local rescue group Ruam Jai Mukdahan Rescue Association shows the monks walking in a single line at the side of the road moments before the truck crashed into them. Police said surviving monks described seeing the vehicle swerving before it slid off the road and struck the group. Investigators have not yet said whether speed, road conditions, driver error or a mechanical fault contributed to the crash, and the inquiry is continuing.
At the scene, officers located the vehicle involved, described as a bronze-gold Isuzu single-cab pickup truck bearing Mukdahan licence plate BT-1944, with visible damage to the front consistent with a significant impact. Pol Col Prayut Rueanthongkham, superintendent of Mueang Mukdahan Police Station, was alerted by local residents and directed an inquiry officer, Pol Maj Wanlop Phothiwang, to the scene to oversee the initial investigation.
Driver, 11, held for questioning
The boy was taken into custody and could not give a statement to police, Prayut told AFP. He was referred to child welfare authorities for assessment, accompanied by his mother. His grandmother told police he had special needs and had taken the pickup truck from home that morning, apparently without permission from a parent or guardian, before losing control and crashing into the group.
Under Thai law, children under the age of 12 are not held criminally liable, though police said the boy's parents may face negligence charges. Police were also taking witness statements from surviving monks as part of the investigation. Authorities had not announced by Thursday whether any charges would be pursued.
Nurse gives emergency aid at the scene
Wiwat Laonoi, a senior professional nurse at Ban Na Si Nuan Health Promoting Hospital who is due to retire in September, was driving to the Mukdahan Provincial Administrative Organization on official business when she came upon the accident. She stopped, called the 1669 emergency hotline and administered first aid and CPR to the injured monks.
Buddhist convention normally prohibits women from touching monks, but an exception applies in emergencies, including administering first aid, performing CPR or helping transport an injured monk to hospital. Wiwat's actions drew widespread praise online.
A representative of Wat Roi Phra Phutthabat Phu Manorom, a hilltop temple in Mukdahan, told AFP the temple had taken in surviving and recovering monks, along with other followers who had been part of the procession.
Condolences from Buddhist community abroad
A group of monks behind the Walk for Peace pilgrimage in the United States issued a statement expressing condolences following the deaths, saying the tragedy "resonates with them on a deeply personal level," according to Khaosod English. The group said it was "deeply saddened" by the news and confirmed that the monks taking part in its own US-based walking pilgrimage were not involved and were safe.
"As brothers in the Dhamma, we feel this profound loss deeply in our hearts," the group said in its statement, extending condolences to Thailand's Sangha, the families of the deceased and all those affected, and offering prayers for the departed and for a full recovery for the injured.
The group said the news brought back memories of a close call during its own pilgrimage on 19 November 2025 near Dayton, Texas, when a vehicle lost control and veered towards its walking group. The Walk for Peace pilgrimage began in Texas in late 2025, with around 20 monks travelling on foot to Washington, DC, to promote peace, mindfulness and loving-kindness, a journey the group said has involved severe weather, physical exhaustion and the hazards of walking on public roads.
