A van carrying migrants crashed into a border guardrail between Italy and Slovenia after fleeing a police checkpoint. The accident did not result in any casualties.
A van carrying migrants failed to stop after police signaled for it to do so near the Italian border with Slovenia and instead sped up, turning onto a road where it could accelerate.
However, after a short chase, the vehicle crashed into a guardrail on a curve in the road in Rabuiese. The van, on its way to Italy, had been transporting 24 migrants including many children. None were seriously injured in the accident, which took place Monday evening (October 16).
Two arrested, another fled
About a dozen children were nonetheless taken by ambulances to the Burlo Garofolo children's hospital in Italy's northeastern city of Trieste for minor injuries and bruises.
Four adults -- the parents of the children -- were also given medical treatment at the Cattinara hospital. All were released from hospital by the morning of October 17.
The migrants are all Turkish nationals of Kurdish ethnicity: 10 children and 11 adults including four women and seven men.
Three individuals holding Romanian citizenship had reportedly brought them to Italy. Two were arrested on smuggling charges while the third escaped.
Trieste is known as the terminal "station" of what is commonly referred to as the Balkan Route.
Every day, between a few dozen to hundreds of people cross the nearby border, especially in the Val Rosandra area.
Trieste prefect says over 80 smugglers arrested this year
Trieste prefect Pietro Signoriello, in responding on October 17 to journalists' questions on the border situation, said that "there have always been checks".
"Over 80 smugglers have been arrested since the beginning of the year, as happened in yesterday evening's incident," he said.
More in general, on security linked to migration, Signoriello noted that this is "attention, as there always has been", but that "it is clear that it is higher now than before. Heightened vigilance has been introduced" for some areas of importance but stressed that the situation was not "alarming".
Brothers of Italy (FDI) party member Emanuele Loperfido called in the Chamber of Deputies for a "European approach to European problems" since "every state cannot deal with it alone".