MIGRANTS AMONG NINE KILLED IN ARIZONA CRASH

PHOENIX Nine people, including seven who were in the U.S. illegally, were killed in a head-on collision on an Arizona highway, authorities said Thursday.

The crash occurred late Wednesday when a vehicle struck an SUV carrying nine people on State Route 79 near Florence, about 95 km southeast of Phoenix, the Arizona Department of Public Safety said.

The agency has declined to say whether the SUV was being used as part of a smuggling operation or may have been connected to a government immigration facility near Florence. Investigators don’t know the cause of the crash. Officials say the SUV’s driver and front-seat passenger were U.S. citizens, but seven others were in the country illegally.