'Monks went flying', says survivor of being run over in Thailand; the death toll rises to 10

Truck destroyed after 11-year-old boy runs over group of monks on pilgrimage in Thailand on July 2, 2026.
Udon Sawang Metha VR Foundation/Nong Harn rescue team via AFP
The number of monks killed by being run over in Thailand has risen to 10, local authorities reported this Friday (3). The vehicle, a pickup truck, was driven by an 11-year-old boy.
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Ten clergy remain hospitalized after Thursday's accident, two of them in critical condition, according to the most recent bulletin from Mukdahan Hospital, in the northeast of the country.
Thirty-five Buddhist monks and five lay faithful were walking on the side of a highway in Mukdahan province on Thursday during a pilgrimage when a pickup truck ran over the group. Five monks died at the scene and another five died later in the hospital.
"The truck approached and got extremely close. I threw myself, but the monks flew away," said one of the survivors. See the full report below.
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The police reported that the vehicle was driven by an 11-year-old boy who took his parents' car without permission.
The boy was detained, however, he did not give a statement to the security forces, Prayut Ruanthongkam, chief of police in the city of Mukdahan, told the AFP news agency. In Thailand, minors under the age of 12 are not subject to criminal liability.
He was referred to child protection authorities for assessment, accompanied by his mother.
'Monks flew away'
Thai Buddhist monk Phra Sompong talks about mass run-over by 11-year-old boy against group pilgrimage in Mukdahan, Thailand, on July 2, 2026.
Ruamjai Mukdahan Rescue via Reuters
Phra Sompong, one of the monks who survived the incident, described to rescuers how he was run over and how he managed to save himself.
"As I was walking (on pilgrimage) as close as possible to the side of the road, I saw a boy driving the pickup truck towards us. I was chanting prayers in my mind, but then, in a moment of life and death, the pickup truck approached and got extremely close to me," Sompong said.
I jumped out along with another monk older and fell into a ditch on the side of the road. Few of the monks (at the front of the trail) survived, but not those further back. The monks were thrown away", added the religious man.
The monk gave the statement shortly after the incident and was dressed in religious clothes and sitting on the ground. He did not appear to be injured, according to the video released by the rescue team.
Rescue teams at the site of a group of monks being run over in Mukdahan, Thailand, on July 2, 2026.
Ruamjai Mukdahan Rescue Foundation via AFP

Source: G1