An 11-year-old boy drove his parents’ truck into a Buddhist procession in Thailand on Thursday, killing nine monks and seriously injuring around 10 others, police and local authorities said.

A group of 35 monks and five lay followers were walking along a roadside in 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,” he said.

“Luckily another monk and I managed to jump out of the way in time,” he added.

“The first nine monks in line survived. But others who were hit were thrown into the air.”

Police said five monks died at the scene and three more in hospital. The Mukdahan provincial office later announced the death of a ninth monk.

Health authorities had earlier said four monks were in a critical condition and 10 others were seriously hurt, while more were being treated for lighter injuries.

Buddhist monks are highly venerated in Thailand, entrusted with preserving and passing on the Buddha’s teachings.

They often hold public processions and are widely seen receiving alms of goodwill from ordinary Thais.

Loud crash

CCTV footage from a nearby property shows the monks walking along the road with multiple vehicles driving past. The sound of a loud crash can then be heard before the procession stops.

Police said the boy had taken his parents’ pickup truck without permission before losing control of the vehicle and crashing into the monks.

“The suspect is a child. The vehicle has been taken for forensic examination to determine the cause,” Police Major General Pairoj Thaiphutsa, commander of the Mukdahan Provincial Police, told reporters.

“We’ve asked the child’s parents to come in so we can determine who is responsible for the child’s care, so we can go on with legal process,” he added.

Prayut Ruanthongkam, chief of Mukdahan City Police, told AFP by telephone that the child was a boy aged 11.

In Thailand, children under the age of 12 have no criminal liability.

Mukdahan Governor Worayan Bunnarat said the case should serve as a wider warning on road safety.

Deadly transport accidents are common in Thailand, which has one of the worst road safety records in the world, with speeding, drunk driving and weak law enforcement all contributing factors.

“We’ve been very strict on road safety in recent years. This case should be a lesson not just for our province, but for the public in general when it comes to preventing road accidents,” said the governor.

“I think everyone involved, especially parents, needs to help, because no one wants something like this to happen.”