A van carrying an excessive number of migrants crashed in southern Germany, resulting in the death of 7 individuals and injuries to 16 others.

Authorities in Berlin reported that a van carrying migrants collided at a highway junction in southern Germany on Friday. The driver, attempting to evade a police check, accelerated, resulting in the deaths of seven individuals and injuries to 16 others.

At approximately 3:15 a.m., a police patrol observed an excessively loaded vehicle on the A94 highway in the eastern part of Munich. They attempted to halt the vehicle, but the driver did not respond and instead increased their speed to 180 kph (112 mph). Shortly after, while attempting to exit the highway, the driver lost control of the van causing it to overturn. This resulted in several of the 23 individuals onboard being thrown out of the vehicle.

According to a statement from the police, a total of seven individuals lost their lives in the incident, one of whom was a child aged six. Additionally, sixteen individuals sustained injuries, with some of them being in critical condition, and were subsequently transported to hospitals. The passengers involved in the incident consisted of both Syrian and Turkish nationals.

The individual who was driving and believed to be involved in smuggling is a 24-year-old man without citizenship residing in Austria. He was also injured in the incident. Law enforcement has confirmed that he has been officially taken into custody at a hospital and is being investigated for multiple offenses, including homicide.

According to German news agency dpa, the van was specifically built to accommodate nine individuals, making it impractical for several passengers to utilize seat belts.

In recent months, Germany has experienced a significant influx of migrants. The van involved in the incident was registered in Austria and was heading towards Munich.

The A94 is known as a smuggling route and the site of the accident is about 50 kilometers (31 miles) from the border with Austria, through which many migrants transit en route to Germany.

Bavaria’s state Interior Minister, Joachim Herrmann, expressed his astonishment at the smuggler’s heartless actions. Despite being injured in the accident, the smuggler attempted to escape from the federal police to avoid getting caught.

Herrmann’s conservative party belongs to Germany’s main opposition bloc, which has pressed the federal government to tighten border controls. He said Friday’s incident shows “how important it is to further strengthen immediate border controls in order to stop smugglers already at the border.”