A van packed with migrants skids off a road in Croatia, killing 2 and injuring 25

ZAGREB, Croatia — A van packed with migrants slid off the road and overturned in central Croatia early Saturday, killing two people and injuring 25, including some seriously, police and doctors said.

The accident happened around 1 a.m. near Peklenica, some 100 kilometers (60 miles) southeast of Zagreb, the capital, said a police statement.

A patrol spotted the van with German license plates overnight and started to follow it when the driver increased the speed, the statement said. After several kilometers (miles), the officers saw the van overturned in a ditch by the road after it apparently hit a concrete bridge, a house and a power pole.

Doctors told Croatian media that 9 people were seriously injured and were being treated in hospitals in the area. They include people from Iraq, Turkey and Syria, as well as Palestinians.

A similar accident in September in Croatia injured 14 people, illustrating the dangers migrants face as they flee wars and poverty in the Middle East, Africa and Asia.

Migrants often seek help from people smugglers to cross borders without authorization to reach wealthy Western European countries. Migrants are often forced to travel in crammed boats or vans.