Migration – Death in a smuggler’s car – Murder trial started in Traunstein – Bavaria

Traunstein (dpa) – Sevenfold murder – that is the accusation against a suspected smuggler who will have to answer before the Traunstein regional court from Tuesday (9 a.m.). The native Syrian, who most recently lived in Austria, is said to have been in a minibus with 22 migrants on the way from Austria to Bavaria in October last year. While fleeing from the police, the car crashed into the guardrails on a motorway exit at 150 km/h. The car rolled over and ended up on its roof – seven of the migrants died, including a six-year-old child.

The indictment also extends to three other trips in which the 25-year-old is said to have brought a total of 46 people to Bavaria under life-threatening conditions.

Fleeing from the police at 180 km/h

According to the investigation, the suspected smuggler was accompanied by three scouts in another car on the night of the fatal accident to secure the trip. The scouts are said to have guided the driver from the Simbach border crossing to the Burghausen crossing.

When civilian police officers discovered the driver, he accelerated the minibus to up to 180 kilometers per hour, according to the prosecution. According to the allegations, he also drove at excessive speed into the Waldkraiburg/Ampfing motorway exit – that’s where the accident occurred.

According to the public prosecutor’s office in July, one of the injured suffered permanent brain damage that made all forms of communication and movement impossible. He is unresponsive and is receiving intensive care. The accused, who was protected by a seat belt, only suffered a broken arm and bruises. What payment he was supposed to have received for the smuggling remained unclear.

The three suspected scout drivers are specifically charged with smuggling resulting in death. The trial against her is scheduled to take place in Traunstein in just over two weeks.

© dpa-infocom, dpa:241008-930-254317/1