BANGKOK: An 11-year-old drove his parents’ truck into a Buddhist procession in Thailand on Thursday, killing eight monks and injuring more than 20 others, police and health officials said.
The group of 35 monks and five lay followers were walking along a roadside in the northeastern Mukdahan province during a pilgrimage when the incident occurred.
“I saw a boy driving a pickup truck, approaching. At that moment I was chanting ‘Buddho, Buddho’ (a meditation mantra),” one monk, identified as Phra Sompong, said in a video posted online by local rescue workers.
“Then suddenly the truck hit at full speed and crashed us like this,” he said, gesticulating.
“Luckily another monk and I managed to jump out of the way in time,” he added.
