Posted on 06/26/2002 8:08:37 AM PDT by robowombat
Seven killed, 31 injured in botched illegal immigration ploy
SAN DIEGO (June 25, 2002 1:19 p.m. EDT) - A van carrying 33 illegal immigrants smashed head-on into two other vehicles as it went the wrong way on an interstate with its headlights off, apparently in an attempt by the driver to avoid an immigration checkpoint. Seven people were killed and 31 injured.
Loaded with immigrants from Mexico and Brazil, the Dodge van sideswiped two cars and then collided with a Ford Explorer about 15 miles north of the Mexican border Monday night, the California Highway patrol said.
The Explorer flew over a guardrail and down an embankment, killing the driver. The van then crashed head-on with a Toyota van. The driver of the Dodge van and four passengers were killed, the Highway Patrol said. Their identities were not known since most people in the van did not have identification, Officer Steve Lopez said. A seventh person died early Tuesday, but it was not clear whether the person had been in the Dodge van or the Explorer, Lopez said.
Thirty-one people were taken to hospitals. The remote area, about 45 miles east of San Diego, is commonly used by smugglers driving vehicles crammed with illegal immigrants. The Border Patrol maintains a checkpoint on the highway, Interstate 8, about three miles from the accident site.
http://www.nando.net/nation/story/446065p-3571186c.html
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