Breaking: 11-Year-Old Boy Driving Truck Crashes Into People, Deaths Recorded
- An 11-year-old boy crashed a truck into monks, killing eight during a pilgrimage in the Asian nation of Thailand
- In the aftermath of the unfortunate accident, five monks died at the scene, while three others gave up the ghost at the hospital
- Road accidents are common in Thailand, which consistently ranks among the most dangerous countries in the world for traffic fatalities
Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 9 years of experience covering world news and global affairs.
Bangkok, Thailand - An 11-year-old boy crashed a pickup truck into a group of monks on a pilgrimage walk in northeastern Thailand on Thursday, July 2, killing eight.
As reported by The Associated Press, a total of 35 monks from Mukdahan province, about 600 kilometres northeast of the capital Bangkok, were on the pilgrimage.
Source: Twitter
Five monks were killed at the site, while three others died at a hospital, according to Mukdahan Governor Worrayan Boonnarat.
11-year-old kills eight monks
Fourteen others were hospitalised, with four in critical condition, officials said.
The group started the 260-kilometre walk to Ubon Ratchathani province about 30 minutes before the crash.
Security camera footage shared by a local rescue group, Ruam Jai Mukdahan Rescue Association, and seen by Legit.ng, shows the monks walking in a single line on the side of a road before the truck crashes into them.
Source: Twitter
Police hold minor over crash
Local police said the minor is now in custody and will be questioned when state child protection officers arrive.
Police said the cause of the accident is still under investigation. However, the monks told investigators they saw the vehicle swerving before it veered off the road and crashed into the group.
Why are Thailand's roads so deadly?
Thailand's roads claim dozens of lives every day.
Thailand’s roads are among the deadliest in the world according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
The Southeast Asian country ranked as the world's second-deadliest for road traffic fatalities in the WHO's 2015 assessment.
According to a 2026 report on VnExpress International, road accidents claimed 191 lives across the first five days of the Songkran holiday, the world’s largest water festival, with Bangkok recording the highest number of fatalities.
From April 10 to 14, there were 951 accidents in total, leaving 911 people injured.
On April 14 alone, there were 192 road accidents, 202 people injured and 30 deaths.
Speeding was the most common cause of the accidents, accounting for 38.54%, followed by drink-driving.
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Thailand's princess is dead
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Thailand's Princess Bajrakitiyabha, who had been in a coma for more than three years, died.
She collapsed in December 2022 while exercising her dogs. Her doctors attributed it to a severely irregular heartbeat, caused by a mycoplasma infection in her heart.
Source: Legit.ng
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Ridwan Adeola Yusuf (Current Affairs Editor) Ridwan Adeola Yusuf is a content writer with more than nine years of experience, He is also a Current Affairs Editor at Legit.ng. He holds a Higher National Diploma in Mass Communication from the Polytechnic Ibadan, Oyo State (2014). Ridwan previously worked at Africa Check, contributing to fact-checking research works within the organisation. He is an active member of the Academic Excellence Initiative (AEI). In March 2024, Ridwan completed the full Google News Initiative Lab workshop and his effort was recognised with a Certificate of Completion. Email: ridwan.adeola@corp.legit.ng.
