Nine Buddhist monks have lost their lives and more than twenty people have been injured after a van, driven by an 11-year-old boy, crashed at high speed into a religious procession that was on a pilgrimage along the roadside. The group, consisting of 35 monks and five lay followers, had started a 260-kilometer walk to the province of Ubon Ratchathani just 30 minutes before the tragic event.
According to initial police reports, the minor took the vehicle from his parents without permission and lost control of it before veering off the road. Pairoj Thaiphutsa, provincial police commander, confirmed that "the suspect is a child. The vehicle was taken for forensic evaluation to determine the cause" of the accident. Security camera footage shows the monks walking single file along the roadside just before the impact. One of the survivors, monk Phra Sompong, recounted the exact moment of horror: "I saw a child approaching the steering wheel of a van.
At that moment, I was chanting 'Buddho, Buddho'." According to his testimony, upon noticing the presence of the child, "then suddenly, the van rammed into us at full speed." The violence of the impact caused gruesome scenes on the public road. Phra Sompong himself described that "the nine monks at the front of the line survived, but the others, who were hit by the vehicle, were thrown into the air."
The final death toll rises to nine: five died at the accident site, three in the hospital, and a ninth died shortly after due to the severity of their injuries. Currently, four monks are in critical condition and ten others have serious injuries. Regarding the responsible party, the police indicated that "the suspect is a minor" of 11 years old who is already in custody and will be questioned in the presence of child protection officials.
Authorities have also summoned the parents to "determine who is responsible for the care of the minor, to proceed with the legal process." This incident has had a profound impact on Thai society, where Buddhist monks are deeply respected figures who play a central role in transmitting the teachings of Buddha. The incident once again highlights the serious road safety issues in Thailand, a country with one of the worst road accident records in the world due to speeding and insufficient compliance with traffic rules.