11-year-old driver crashes truck into Buddhist monks in Thailand, killing 10

People gather the belongings of Buddhist monks after a collision between their roadside procession and a pickup truck driven by an 11-year old, killing 10 monks and injuring more than 20 others, in the northeastern Thai province of Mukdahan. AFP-Yonhap

BANGKOK — An 11-year-old driver crashed a truck into Buddhist monks on a pilgrimage walk in northeastern Thailand on Thursday, killing 10 of them and injuring others, officials said.

A total of 35 monks from Mukdahan province, about 600 kilometers (372 miles) northeast of the capital Bangkok, were on the pilgrimage. Five monks died at the scene, while five others died at a hospital. More than 10 were hospitalized and one remained in critical condition, according to the provincial administration.

The group started the 260-kilometer (161-mile) walk to Ubon Ratchathani province about 30 minutes before the crash.

Security camera footage shared by a local rescue group, Ruam Jai Mukdahan Rescue Association, shows the monks walking in a single line on the side of a road before the truck crashes into them.

The boy was in custody and police have said his parents may be charged with negligence.

The cause of the accident is under investigation, but police said the monks described seeing the vehicle swerving before it slid off the road and crashed into the group.