In a tragic turn of events, a minivan in southern Germany careened off its course, resulting in the death of seven people, among them a child. The police suggest that the vehicle was ridden by a person suspected of people-smuggling.
The minivan, built to hold a maximum of nine people, was packed with a staggering twenty-three passengers during the accident. The driver purportedly sidestepped a police roadblock and crashed near Ampfing in Bavaria, subsequently losing control of the minivan.
The dreadful incident occurs against the backdrop of an escalating trend of people-smuggling which has compelled various Central and Eastern European countries to reinforce their border checks.
Authorities report an attempted interception of the vehicle, a Mercedes Vito van, around 03:00 on Friday. This Austrian-licensed vehicle accelerated alarmingly to 180km/h prior to plummeting several times at a motorway crossroads between the Austrian border and Munich. Authorities have apprehended the driver.
Overcrowding is suggested to be a contributing factor to the high casualty rate. Fatalities included a six-year-old child. The incident follows a series of accidents across various European countries involving suspected people-smugglers.
Thursday saw a French-registered car, believed to be transporting migrants, capsize in Hungary, leading to two fatalities and six injuries. Last week in Burghausen, a town on the German-Austrian border approximately 50km away from Friday’s accident site, a vehicle crash led to four injuries.
The resurgence of people-smuggling incidents has prompted several EU countries, including Poland, Germany, and the Czech Republic, to reinstate border checks. Polish authorities claim a significant reduction in migrant crossings following increased checks.
South-Eastern Germany’s A94 motorway is a frequent route for people-smugglers traversing from Austria. Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann underscores the urgent need for reinforcing border controls to prevent smugglers from infiltrating Germany, spurred on by the harrowing crash.
The first seven months of 2023 had reported a 78% surge in first-time asylum requests, according to German authorities. Almost a quarter of migrant entries into Germany are reportedly facilitated by smugglers.
