Eleven-year-old driver involved in fatal crash that killed eight monks in Thailand

An 11-year-old boy was driving a pickup truck that struck a procession of Buddhist monks walking along a road in Mukdahan province, northeastern Thailand, on Thursday. The collision killed eight monks and injured fourteen others, four of whom remain in critical condition, according to provincial authorities.

The monks were part of a 260-kilometer pilgrimage that began about half an hour before the accident. Security-camera footage released by a local rescue group showed the monks walking in a single line on the roadside before the vehicle swerved and entered the path of the group.

"Five monks died at the scene and three more died later in hospital," Mukdahan Governor Worrayan Boonnarat said.

Police said the boy is in custody and will be questioned when child-protection officials arrive. The cause of the crash is under investigation, with monks reporting that the truck appeared to swerve before leaving the road and hitting the procession.