Publish Date: 14 October 2023 - 10:40

TEHRAN, Oct. 14 (MNA) – A van packed with migrants crashed at a highway junction in southern Germany on Friday after the driver accelerated to avoid a police check, killing seven people and injuring 16, authorities said.

AP reported citing police statement that seven people were killed, including a 6-year-old child. The other 16 were injured, some of them seriously, and were taken to hospitals. The people on board were Syrian and Turkish citizens.

According to the German newspaper Bild, the over-crowded van was packed with 23 people, while it was only designed for nine.

The authorities are investigating the injured driver, a 24-year-old man, who is suspected of people smuggling and homicide, the police said.

AMK/PR