At least seven people were killed and a dozen or so injured when a driver suspected of people smuggling lost control of a van carrying migrants in Bavaria, Reuters reported, citing a statement from the German police.
The accident occurred on the A94 motorway in Upper Bavaria. German police said the van began to accelerate as a result of the police pursuit.
The driver drove off the road
The van was carrying more than 20 migrants, including children. The vehicle, which was traveling from the east towards Munich, was to be checked by the federal police. The driver accelerated suddenly, went off the road at the intersection of Ampfing and Waldkraiburg and crashed. The incident happened at approx. 03:15.
According to Reuters, the van overturned several times. At least seven people were killed and a dozen were injured.
Highway 94 has been completely closed towards Munich – reports the “Welt” daily.
The scene of the van accident at the intersection of Ampfing and WaldkraiburgGoogle Earth
Controls introduced
Last month, the authorities in Berlin introduced new border controls with Poland and the Czech Republic – recalled Reuters.
In Germany, the number of asylum applications increased by 78 percent in the first seven months of this year, according to official data. According to police data, 14,701 illegal border crossings into Germany were registered in August, an increase of 66 percent compared to the same month last year, Reuters reported.
Main photo source: Reuters