An 11-year-old boy allegedly took his parents’ pickup truck without permission before losing control and crashing into a line of Buddhist monks in Thailand, killing eight and injuring 14 others.

The horrifying crash happened Thursday morning in Mukdahan province, about 370 miles northeast of Bangkok, as 35 monks walked along the side of a road during a religious pilgrimage.

The group had reportedly begun its 160-mile journey to Ubon Ratchathani province just 30 minutes before disaster struck.

Security footage shows the monks walking peacefully in a single-file line when the pickup truck suddenly veers off the road and barrels into the procession.

Five monks were killed at the scene. Three more later died at a hospital, Mukdahan Governor Worrayan Boonnarat said.

Fourteen other monks were hospitalized, including four who were listed in critical condition.

One survivor, identified as Phra Sompong, said he was quietly repeating a Buddhist meditation mantra when he saw the truck racing toward the group.

“I saw a boy driving a pickup truck, approaching. At that moment I was chanting ‘Buddho, Buddho,’” he said in a video shared by local rescue workers.

“Then suddenly the truck hit at full speed and crashed us like this.”

Sompong said he and another monk managed to leap out of the truck’s path just seconds before impact.

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

CCTV footage from a nearby property reportedly captured the monks walking along the road as several vehicles passed them.

Moments later, a loud crash can be heard and the procession suddenly comes to a halt.

Police said the boy had taken his parents’ truck without their permission before apparently losing control. Witnesses told investigators that the pickup was swerving before it slid off the road and slammed into the monks.

The child was taken into custody, but authorities said he would not be formally questioned until state child protection officials arrived.

“The suspect is a child,” Police Major General Pairoj Thaiphutsa, commander of the Mukdahan Provincial Police, told reporters.

“The vehicle has been taken for forensic examination to determine the cause.”

Police also ordered the boy’s parents to report to authorities as investigators work to determine who was responsible for supervising him and how he gained access to the truck.

“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 the legal process,” Thaiphutsa said.

The devastating collision has sent shockwaves across Thailand, where Buddhist monks are deeply respected and are often seen walking in public processions or collecting food and donations from residents.

Governor Boonnarat said the tragedy should serve as a terrifying warning to parents and drivers across the country.

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

Thailand has long struggled with deadly road accidents, with speeding, impaired driving and weak enforcement frequently blamed for the country’s dangerous roads.

But in this case, investigators are now trying to answer an even more disturbing question: How was an 11-year-old boy able to get behind the wheel in the first place?