Car accident kills seven, injures four in Hungary

BUDAPEST - Seven people have died and four were injured in southern Hungary when a minivan carrying illegal refugees overturned close to the Serbian border on Monday night, according to police reports.

The accident occurred on Monday around 11:40 pm local time (2240 GMT) in the town of Morahalom, some 170 km south of Budapest. The vehicle crashed into a flower shop as its driver, who was of Serbian nationality, refused to stop for a police check and tried to leave the scene at high speed, said the police.

The main road in Morahalom has been entirely closed during the on-site inspection and technical rescue, the police noted in a statement.

The driver, who was also injured, was arrested on the spot, and prosecuted for human trafficking and causing a fatal crash, the police added.

Police confirmed to Xinhua later on Tuesday that all of the occupants of the vehicle were male adults.

Government officials said the driver had ignored the calls of the police and tried to flee before losing control of the vehicle.