Boy, 11, mows down Buddhist monks and kills eight in Thailand | News World

Eight Buddhist monks were killed and 26 others injured when a boy who was driving his dad’s pick-up truck crashed into them this morning.

The religious figures were walking in single file in a gaggle of 34 along the roadside when the bronze Isuzu ploughed through them in Mukdahan, northeast Thailand, just before noon.

Footage from the aftermath shows the monks of their distinctive orange robes scattered across the bottom.

A minimum of eight were pronounced dead on the scene while one other 14 were rushed to the hospital wth critical injuries.

The others all suffered minor injuries and were treated on the scene.

Police said that the boy was taken into custody while they investigate how he got here to be driving the vehicle. They were also trying to find his relatives.

Lieutenant Theera Kaewnet said: ‘Upon arriving on the scene, I discovered a lot of monks lying on the road and by the roadside.

‘At first, I believed it was a contingency drill, but once I went right down to inspect, I realised it was an actual accident, so I quickly coordinated with local law enforcement officials, rescuers and the hospital to urgently assist the injured.’

Police said the monks had been walking across the province as a part of a pilgrimage to a non secular site.

They were carrying alms collected along the route.

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