The death toll from a tragic road accident involving a Buddhist pilgrimage in northeastern Thailand has risen to 10 after five more monks succumbed to their injuries in hospital, authorities confirmed on Friday. The devastating incident occurred when a pickup truck driven by an 11-year-old boy struck a procession of monks and lay followers walking along a roadside in Mukdahan province.

The crash has shocked Thailand, where Buddhist monks are deeply respected and play a central role in religious and community life. Officials said the accident has become one of the country’s deadliest incidents involving a religious procession in recent years.

According to police, a group of 35 monks accompanied by five lay followers was taking part in a pilgrimage on Thursday when the pickup truck veered into the procession. Five monks were pronounced dead at the scene, while five others later died after being transported to hospital for emergency treatment.

Mukdahan Hospital said another 10 people remain hospitalized. Two are in critical condition, while eight others are being treated for injuries ranging from moderate to serious. Medical teams continue to monitor the victims closely as families, fellow monks, and local residents await further updates.

Authorities identified the driver as an 11-year-old boy who had allegedly taken his parents’ pickup truck without their knowledge or permission. Police said the child, who has special needs, drove approximately 10 kilometers before losing control of the vehicle and crashing into the religious procession.

Mukdahan Provincial Police Chief Major General Pairoj Thaiphutra said preliminary investigations indicate that the boy had been driving alone before the collision occurred. Investigators are working to establish the exact circumstances leading to the crash, including whether excessive speed, driver inexperience, or other factors contributed to the tragedy.

“The child drove for around 10 kilometers before the accident occurred,” Major General Pairoj said, adding that investigators are collecting physical evidence from the scene and interviewing witnesses.

Mukdahan City Police Chief Prayut Ruanthongkam said on Friday that the boy has not yet been able to provide a formal statement to investigators due to his condition. Instead, he has been referred to child welfare authorities for assessment while remaining under the care of his mother.

“The child was unable to give a statement to police,” Prayut said. “He has been sent for assessment by child welfare officials, accompanied by his mother.”

Under Thai law, children younger than 12 cannot be held criminally liable for their actions. As a result, the investigation is expected to focus primarily on determining how the child gained access to the vehicle and whether any additional legal or civil responsibilities may arise from the circumstances surrounding the incident.

Police are also interviewing surviving monks and other witnesses who were part of the procession to reconstruct the moments before the crash. Officers have documented evidence from the scene and are expected to examine the pickup truck as part of the ongoing investigation.

The procession was traveling along a roadside in Mukdahan province during what officials described as a religious pilgrimage. Such pilgrimages are common among Buddhist monks in Thailand and often involve long walks between temples as acts of spiritual devotion, discipline, and meditation.

The accident has deeply affected both the local community and Thailand’s Buddhist population. Monks occupy a highly revered position in Thai society, where they are regarded as custodians of Buddhist teachings and moral guidance. They regularly participate in public ceremonies, religious festivals, and daily alms rounds, during which members of the public offer food and donations as acts of merit-making.

The loss of ten monks has prompted an outpouring of grief across the province, with local residents expressing condolences and offering support to those affected.

A representative from Wat Roi Phra Phutthabat Phu Manorom, a prominent hilltop temple in Mukdahan, said the temple has opened its facilities to assist survivors of the accident. Recovering monks, injured followers, and other participants in the pilgrimage have been welcomed to stay at the temple while they receive care and emotional support.

Temple officials said monks and volunteers have also been providing spiritual guidance and assistance to grieving families following the tragedy.

The incident has renewed attention to road safety during religious events, particularly processions that travel along public roads. While Buddhist pilgrimages are a longstanding tradition in Thailand, they often require participants to walk considerable distances on highways and rural roads where traffic can pose significant risks.

Road safety advocates have previously called for stronger protective measures during religious and community processions, including temporary traffic management, escort vehicles, and improved warning signs to alert motorists of pedestrians ahead.

Authorities have not indicated whether additional safety measures were in place at the time of Thursday’s procession or whether new guidelines may be introduced following the investigation.

The crash has also raised broader concerns about vehicle security and preventing children from gaining unauthorized access to motor vehicles. Police have not released details about how the boy obtained the pickup truck or whether the keys had been left inside the vehicle.

Legal experts note that while the child cannot face criminal prosecution because of his age, authorities may examine whether negligence or other factors contributed to the circumstances that allowed the incident to occur.

Investigators are expected to continue interviewing witnesses and reviewing forensic evidence over the coming days before issuing a final report.

As Thailand mourns the loss of the ten monks, religious communities across the country are expected to hold prayers and memorial ceremonies in their honor. Local officials have pledged support for the injured and the families of those who lost their lives.

In a statement issued on Friday, the agency warned that the incident threatens vital humanitarian operations supplying clean water to hundreds of thousands of people.

“UNICEF is outraged by the killing of two drivers of trucks contracted by UNICEF to provide clean water to families in the Gaza Strip,” the agency said.

The two men were killed by Israeli fire early Friday at the Mansoura water filling point in northern Gaza, in an incident that also left two others injured. UNICEF said the attack occurred during routine water trucking operations, with no changes in movement or procedures.

The Mansoura site is currently the only operational truck filling point for the Mekorot water supply line serving Gaza City. It is used multiple times daily by UNICEF and humanitarian partners to sustain critical water deliveries to large segments of the population, including children.

Onsite activities suspended

Following the incident, UNICEF said its contractors have been instructed to suspend onsite activities until security conditions improve.

The agency called on Israeli authorities to “immediately investigate this incident, and ensure full accountability,” stressing that “humanitarian workers, essential service providers, and civilian infrastructure, including critical water facilities, must never be targeted.”

“The protection of civilians and those delivering life-saving assistance is an obligation under international humanitarian law,” the statement added.

Eyewitnesses captured the moment a burning fuel tanker drove through the centre of Hasakah, Syria, leaving a trail of fire behind it.

The fuel truck reportedly caught fire at a gas station. The tanker driver then attempted to drive the burning vehicle towards a fire station to contain the blaze, according to Syria’s state news agency SANA.

Seven people were injured, and 11 vehicles and a bus were destroyed in the incident, SANA reported, citing the Hasakah Health Directorate.

There were children of all age groups in the line waiting for a handout of rice.

Lamees Mohammad Al Mizar’i is 16 and originally from Gaza City. She now lives in a tent with eight family members. Lamees looks back, almost disbelievingly, at her pre-war attitude to food.

“I was picky, when my mum used to make cauliflower, I used to complain about it, saying ‘we are eating cauliflower every day, I want a different meal with meat or chicken,’ but now I eat everything, the good and the bad. Animals do not eat the food we eat.”

She explained how hunger creates family tensions.

“When I tell my mom I’m not going to queue today, she tells me, ‘What would we eat then? Should we keep looking to the sky, then?’ I have to come here. I keep thinking that if I don’t come we won’t find anything to eat. In the past, I used to think daily where to go out, what to play, what to study, when to go to bed. I had my own room, kitchen. There was a living room and I used to receive guests.”

After collecting her pot of rice, Lamees walks home, past a line of adults and children who have arrived at the kitchen. She is muttering to herself as she disappears into the morning crowds.

Back in Amman, they are preparing more aid for delivery to Gaza. The Jordanian Hashemite Charity Organisation says it could load 150 trucks a day for Gaza if given the go-ahead. There is no shortage of willingness. Aid agencies, the UN and other groups are ready. They are – all of them – waiting for the full opening of Gaza to aid, and for peace.

Additional reporting by Alice Doyard, Suha Kawar and Moose Campbell

Media reports indicated that a US male citizen had intentionally driven a pick-up truck into a crowd of people celebrating the new year in the city’s French quarter shortly after 3am local time.

The 42-year-old suspect was killed in a police shootout that injured two officers. His potential allegiance to ISIL extremists is under investigation after a flag of the terrorist organization and improvised explosives were found in the rented vehicle and in other locations nearby, according to the FBI.

“The Secretary-General strongly condemns the attack in New Orleans, where a driver struck a crowd gathered to celebrate the New Year, reportedly killing at least 15 people and injuring over 30 others,” said his Associate Spokesperson, Florencia Soto Nino-Martinez.

“He extends his condolences to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives and to the Government and people of Louisiana and the United States. He also wishes a swift recovery to those persons injured.”

The US authorities are also investigating possible links between the outrage and a deadly vehicle explosion in Las Vegas on Wednesday morning.

Reports indicated that a Tesla Cybertruck exploded near the entrance of Trump International Hotel on New Year’s Day. Police said that the driver was killed and seven others were injured when a combination of fireworks, gas tanks and camping fuel was detonated.

Israeli television channels showed police cordoning off the area as emergency personnel helped the injured and a helicopter hovered above.

“At 10:08 AM, a report was received in MDA’s 101 Emergency Call Center in the Yarkon Region of a truck hitting a bus stop on Aharon Yariv Boulevard in Ramat Hasharon.

“MDA EMTs and Paramedics are currently providing medical treatment on site to dozens of casualties,” Israel’s emergency services said in a statement.

A spokesman for Israel’s ambulance service quoted by Israeli newspaper Haaretz said many of the injured were elderly citizens who had disembarked from a bus ahead of a visit to the nearby Israel Defense Forces (IDF) base in Glilot.