Reuters AlertNet Lite - Canada police probe deadly crash of farmworker van

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Canada police probe deadly crash of farmworker van

07 Mar 2007 23:08:53 GMT
Source: Reuters

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 7 (Reuters) - Three people were killed and 14 others seriously injured on Wednesday when a van carrying farmworkers crashed on a rainy highway near Vancouver.

Police said they were investigating if the vehicle, which flipped over on the TransCanada Highway in Abbotsford, British Columbia, had been illegally modified to carry too many people.

Several of the victims were ejected from the van, which landed upside down on the concrete median divider. Some of the victims were airlifted to hospital by helicopter.

There were reports the van did not have enough seatbelts and that wooden benches had been installed to replace the regular seats so the vehicle could carry more people than it was designed for.

The accident's cause was under investigation, but officials said the road was wet from a heavy rain. The van hit a truck, but it was not known if that happened before or after the van's driver lost control.

Labor advocates said immigrant farmworkers in the western Canadian province are often forced to travel in crowded, unsafe vehicles, and called for more inspections.

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Last updated:Wed Mar 7 23:08:32 2007