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Seven Killed in Van Crash; 33 Illegal Immigrants Were on Board


SAN DIEGO  � 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. 
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http://foxnews.com/story/0,2933,56149,00.html