The accident occurred when police were about to stop a van at the border with Slovakia. The driver tried to evade but at high speed lost control of the vehicle and drove off the road.
Inside the car’s cargo space were 20 migrants, three of whom were found to have died on the spot. At least seven people were seriously injured and taken to hospital.
“Today’s accident shows once again that human life means nothing to people smugglers, the deaths are included in the calculation,” says Interior Minister Gerhard Karner in a statement and calls for a tougher crackdown on the smugglers.