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Germany migrants: Seven dead after vehicle crashes in Bavaria


Seven people, including a child, have died after a crowded minivan driven by a suspected people-smuggler overturned in southern Germany, police say.

Twenty-three people were in the van, which is designed to fit nine.


The driver attempted to evade police at a road check before losing control near Ampfing in Bavaria, authorities say.


The accident happened amid a rise in people-smuggling which has led several Central and Eastern European countries to impose border checks.


Police say they tried to intercept the Mercedes Vito van at around 03:00 (01:00 GMT) on Friday.


The driver of the vehicle, which had an Austrian licence plate, accelerated to 180km/h (112mph) before rolling over several times at a junction on the A94 motorway, between the Austrian border and Munich. The driver has been arrested.


Police said the vehicle's overcrowding contributed to the high death toll. A six-year-old child was among the dead.


There have been a number of crashes involving people-smugglers in European countries in recent weeks.

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