Seven killed as suspected migrant-smuggling vehicle crashes in Germany

The vehicle overturned on highway A94 near Muehldorf (dpa via AP)

Seven people have been killed after a vehicle trying to evade a police check in southern Germany left a major road at high speed and crashed, authorities said.

The overcrowded vehicle appeared to be carrying migrants.

The accident happened near Muehldorf, east of Munich, on the A94 road, which leads to the Austrian border. The vehicle left the road and overturned.

Police said on X that initial investigations showed that it was “a suspected smuggler vehicle with more than 20 people on board”.

Police attendants stand by an overturned vehicle on highway A94 near Muehldorf (dpa via AP)

They said prosecutors had opened a homicide investigation.

All of those on board were at least slightly injured and some were seriously injured, German news agency dpa reported. They were taken to nearby hospitals.

The people packed into the vehicle included children. It was not immediately clear where they came from.

Germany has seen large numbers of migrants arriving in recent months.