US News
Nine die as human smuggler crashes on Mexico-US border
By DPA
Aug 8, 2006, 19:00 GMT

Phoenix/San Francisco - Nine illegal immigrants died Monday when a human smuggler crashed the vehicle they were hiding in as he tried to avoid a barrier at the border, officials said.

At least five people were seriously injured in the incident which occurred close to the southern Arizona border town of Yuma, a hot spot for illegal border crossings.

According to US authorities, the human smuggler had packed 22 people in the Suburban sport utility vehicle and attempted to cross the border on a dirt road.

But US border police had set up a spike strip along the road and the overloaded vehicle crashed when it tried to turn at speed to avoid the checkpoint.