Ten Buddhist monks have died and several others remain hospitalised after an 11-year-old boy drove his parents' pickup truck into a religious procession in Mukdahan province, in the northeast of Thailand, on Thursday. Five monks were killed at the scene and five more died later in hospital. Two people remain in a critical condition and eight others are being treated for injuries of varying severity at Mukdahan Hospital, which has appealed for urgent blood donations.

A group of 35 monks and five lay followers had been walking along a roadside during a pilgrimage when the truck ploughed into them at full speed. CCTV footage from a nearby property captured the procession moving along the road before the sound of a loud crash brought it to a halt. One surviving monk, Phra Sompong, described the moment of impact: "I saw a boy driving a pickup truck approaching. At that moment I was chanting 'Buddho, Buddho' — then suddenly the truck hit at full speed and crashed us. Luckily another monk and I managed to jump out of the way in time. The first nine monks in line survived, but others who were hit were thrown into the air."

Police said the boy, who has special needs, had taken the vehicle without his parents' permission and driven approximately 10 kilometres before losing control and striking the procession. His guardians, unaware he had left the house — he had stayed home from school that day due to illness — alerted police when they noticed the truck was missing. The boy has since been referred to child welfare authorities for assessment and was accompanied by his mother. Mukdahan's provincial police chief, Major General Pairoj Thaiphutra, confirmed the boy was unable to give a statement to police. Under Thai law, children under the age of 12 bear no criminal liability, and investigators are still determining what legal steps, if any, can be taken.

Buddhist monks occupy a deeply revered place in Thai society, regarded as custodians of the Buddha's teachings. Public processions, in which lay people offer monks alms — food and basic necessities — as an act of merit and respect, are a common sight across the country. A representative of Wat Roi Phra Phutthabat Phu Manorom, a hilltop temple in Mukdahan that the procession was associated with, said the temple had taken in surviving and recovering monks and other followers.

The tragedy has prompted renewed calls for road safety awareness in a country that consistently ranks among the world's most dangerous for road users, with speeding, drunk driving and weak enforcement cited as persistent problems. Mukdahan's provincial governor, Worayan Bunnarat, said the incident must serve as a broader warning. "We've been very strict on road safety in recent years," he said. "This case should be a lesson not just for our province, but for the public in general — especially parents — because no one wants something like this to happen."