Boy killed, 27 injured in migrant van accident in northern Greece

A 4-year-old boy was killed and 27 people were injured, two seriously, in northern Greece on Friday night when the minivan they were traveling in crashed into a truck on the national highway between Kavala and Thessaloniki. 

The crammed vehicle is believed to have been carrying undocumented migrants who were smuggled across the border with Turkey, with local media suggesting that most of the passengers were from Iraq, Somalia and Bangladesh.

Among the 27 people who were injured, two are believed to be members of the racket that smuggled the others into Greece. 

According to local reports, the collision occurred after the minivan failed to stop for a police inspection, prompting a chase during which the vehicle’s driver accelerated to evade arrest and smashed into the truck.

The truck driver was reportedly unhurt.

Friday night’s crash was the latest in a series of fatal collisions in recent months amid a spike in illegal crossings from the land border with Turkey.