Berlin, Oct 14 (IANS): Seven people were killed and 16 injured when a van carrying migrants crashed at a highway junction in Bavaria, southern Germany, according to the Bavarian police.

Among the dead was a six-year-old child, the police said on Friday, adding that some of the injured are in a serious condition.

The accident happened on the A94 motorway near the Austrian border when the driver accelerated to a speed of 180 km per hour to evade police inspection, Xinhua news agency reported.

According to the German newspaper Bild, the over-crowded van was packed with 23 people, while it was only designed for nine.

The authorities are investigating the injured driver, a 24-year-old man, who is suspected of people smuggling and homicide, the police said.

The accident shows the cruel way in which human traffickers put people's lives at risk, said German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser on social media.

"We must smash the cruel business of the smuggling gangs," she added.

Joachim Herrmann, Bavaria's Interior Minister, told the German Press Agency (dpa) that this incident shows how important it is to further strengthen border controls to stop smugglers.