Eleven-Year-Old Drives Parents' Truck, Kills Eight Buddhist Monks in Thailand

At least eight Buddhist monks were killed in a severe traffic accident in northeastern Thailand when an 11-year-old boy driving his parents' pickup truck struck a group of monks on a pilgrimage march. The incident occurred in Mukdahan Province near the Laos border, approximately 600 kilometers from Bangkok. Authorities reported that 35 monks and five civilian escorts were walking along a road as part of a religious procession when the vehicle veered off course and hit them about 30 minutes after the march began. Security camera footage from near the scene shows the monks walking in a single file along the roadside before the truck arrives and collides with the group. The boy was taken to a police station and is being questioned in the presence of child welfare and protection officials.