Updated
Updated · The Associated Press · Jul 3
Thailand Truck Crash Kills 10 Buddhist Monks as 11-Year-Old Driver Remains in Custody
Updated
Updated · The Associated Press · Jul 3

Thailand Truck Crash Kills 10 Buddhist Monks as 11-Year-Old Driver Remains in Custody

3 articles · Updated · The Associated Press · Jul 3

Summary

  • Ten monks were killed after an 11-year-old crashed a truck into a pilgrimage group in Mukdahan province, with the death toll rising from earlier reports of nine.
  • Thirty-five monks had set out on a 260-kilometer walk to Ubon Ratchathani about 30 minutes earlier when the truck left the road and hit them.
  • Five monks died at the scene and five at a hospital; more than 10 others were hospitalized, with one still in critical condition.
  • Security footage showed the monks walking single file along the roadside, and witnesses told police the vehicle was swerving before it slid off the road.
  • The boy is in custody, the crash remains under investigation, and police said his parents could face negligence charges.

Insights

After eight monks were killed on a pilgrimage, is it safe for anyone to walk along Thailand's dangerous roads?
Thailand aims to halve road deaths by 2027. Will this tragedy finally force a real change in its traffic safety culture?
An 11-year-old killed eight people with a truck. Where does legal accountability fall when the driver is a child?