An 11-year-old boy who took his parents’ truck killed nine Buddhist monks after losing control of the vehicle and crashing into them. File Photo by Justin Lane/EPA-EFE
An 11-year-old boy driving his parents’ truck crashed into a Buddhist procession in Thailand, killing nine and seriously injuring 14 more.
The boy had stayed home sick from school and took the truck, using a key that had been left in the car, driving into the group of 35 monks after he lost control of the vehicle.
Five monks died at the scene of the crash, with four more later dying at the hospital, The New York Times, reported.
“The suspect is a child,” Police Major General Pairoj Thaiphutsa told The BBC.
“The vehicle has been taken for forensic examination to determine the cause,” Thaiphutsa said, noting that the boy is in the care of his parents.
Police said that witnesses saw the car swerving as it approached the monks, who were on a pilgrimage through Mukhadan province in the Isan region of Thailand, roughly 400 miles northeast of Bangkok.
Buddhist walking pilgrimages in Thailand are relatively common, with the monks given a lot of respect and support as they travel.
When the boy’s mother found that her son, who has special needs, had taken the truck, she called the police.
The was taken to the police station but is in a state of shock over the crash and has not been questioned yet, the Bankok Post reported.
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News anchors are seen outside the Supreme Court of the United States as the court releases their final opinions before summer recess on Tuesday. The court upheld birthright citizenship and also state laws banning transgender women and girls from playing on school athletic teams. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo
