In Eystrup, Lower Saxony, 14 people were injured, some seriously, in a traffic accident on Friday evening.
According to the police, the cause of the accident was an overtaking maneuver that was too fast.
A van overcrowded with passengers overtook another car at excessive speed and then collided with another car, the Nienburg police said on Saturday.
The injured were taken to hospital by ambulance and helicopter.
There were 14 people in the van - four more than allowed.
The risky overtaking maneuver and the subsequent accident occurred at an intersection with federal highway 215.
The B215 was temporarily blocked.
The police estimate the damage to be around 30,000 euros.
According to the police report, a total of 17 ambulances, three ambulance vehicles and two rescue helicopters from Hanover and North Rhine-Westphalia were in use.
The Eystrup fire brigade arrived with 29 emergency services.
Löw / AFP