An 11-year-old boy stole his parents’ pickup truck before crashing into a group of monks on a pilgrimage in Mukdahan province on 2 July, leaving six monks dead and many others injured.

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Police from Muang Mukdahan Police Station responded at approximately 11:00 to the crash on a road near Ban Na Wiang Kae in Na Si Nuan subdistrict, Muang district, Mukdahan. A bronze-gold pickup truck bearing registration from Mukdahan struck a group of monks who were walking on a religious pilgrimage.

Five monks died at the scene, while seven others suffered serious injuries and a further 20 sustained minor injuries. Emergency responders transported the injured to Mukdahan Hospital and nearby hospitals, where one of the seriously injured monks later died, bringing the total death toll to six.

According to investigators, the boy’s grandmother, 72-year-old Thong Yoon, said her grandson, identified only as “A” to protect his identity, is an 11-year-old child with special needs. She said he had taken the pickup truck from the family home earlier that morning without permission, and she did not know where he intended to go.

The grandmother told police that she alerted officers after discovering the vehicle had been taken. Authorities attempted to intercept the pickup after reports that the boy had driven through the Na Kham Noi checkpoint while heading towards Mukdahan city.

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The vehicle later crashed into the group of monks at Ban Na Wiang Kae, causing multiple fatalities and injuries. Police have not released further details about the circumstances leading up to the collision.

Authorities said they will question all those connected with the case before deciding on any legal action. The investigation is continuing to establish the full sequence of events and determine the appropriate legal procedures.

Caution video shows aftermath of crash

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Adapted by ASEAN Now Dailynews 2 July 2026

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Oh dear, oh dear... what a tragic mess. Poor parenting supervision and negligence over a child with special needs (whatever that means in this case) and should never have gotten anywhere near the keys to a vehicle.

This is one of those stories where everyone loses. RIP to the monks.

UPDATE

Eight Monks Dead After Pickup Truck Slams Into Pilgrimage in Mukdahan

Two further Buddhist monks have died in hospital, brining the death toll to 8 and 13 others are classed seriously injured after a pickup truck, driven by a 11 year old, crashed into a group of monks on a walking pilgrimage in northeastern Mukdahan province.

Local CCTV of incident

Adapted by ASEAN Now Khaosod 2 July 2026

38 minutes ago, Sir Dude said:

Oh dear, oh dear... what a tragic mess. Poor parenting supervision and negligence over a child with special needs (whatever that means in this case) and should never have gotten anywhere near the keys to a vehicle.

100%. Stories like this are depressingly common here. Parents can be breathtakingly negligent, yet they're rarely held accountable, which simply encourages more carelessness and a complete lack of foresight.

That said, it did make me think. Our car keys aren't locked away. My son could take the car keys from my wife's handbag or my bike keys from the drawer and go for a joyride. The difference is he knows the consequences would be so utterly Machiavellian he'd be measuring the passage of time in months before seeing anything resembling a privilege again.

This, however, involved a child with special needs. Common sense alone would suggest that warrants greater safeguard.

Hindsight is always 20/20, of course, but the risks were surely foreseeable. One almost wonders whether the parents themselves were equally incapable of appreciating them and had their own special needs issues.

RIP to the monks. The responsibility for this tragedy lies squarely with the parents.

7 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

This, however, involved a child with special needs. Common sense alone would suggest that warrants greater safeguard.

Common sense is not traditionally regarded as a value in Thai culture.

3 lifetimes of bad karma for him

I remember some of my Catholic friends had St Christopher Medals on their dash for good driving luck. Maybe these monks were wearing the wrong amulets for walking along the road or maybe the driver did not have the correct amulet on his dash.