At least nine people died and several more were injured in a series of separate traffic collisions across three continents over the weekend, according to local authorities. The incidents, which occurred in Sweden, Germany, Iran, and Brazil, ranged from a chain-reaction crash on a German autobahn to a frontal collision in southern Brazil.

In Sweden, a rear-end collision on national road 40 outside Borås killed two people in their 80s on Midsummer Eve, police said. The couple's car was struck from behind as it attempted to cross a gap in the central barrier to reverse direction. The driver of the second vehicle, a man in his 30s, suffered minor injuries and was taken to hospital. Swedish prosecutors have opened a preliminary investigation into gross negligence in traffic and causing the death of another, though no suspect has been named.

On Germany’s A5 motorway near Appenweier in Baden-Württemberg, a dangerous lane change triggered a multi-vehicle crash that left two women dead. According to traffic police, a car swerved from the middle to the left lane, sideswiping another vehicle. Both cars lost control and came to a halt on the carriageway. Drivers behind braked sharply to avoid debris, leading to a five-car pile-up. The two women, travelling in a Smart car, died at the scene. One other man was seriously injured. The northbound lanes were fully closed for several hours as investigators examined the site; material damage was initially estimated at over €100,000.

In Iran, a collision between a small truck and a Peugeot Pars on an old road between Parand and Soltanabad killed three people and injured four others, emergency services reported. Rescue teams dispatched to the scene transported the injured to a hospital in Saveh. A local official noted that the narrow, high-traffic old roads in the region are prone to accidents due to the mix of heavy and light vehicles. Meanwhile, in Brazil, a head-on crash on the BR-386 highway in Iraí, Rio Grande do Sul, claimed the lives of both drivers – a 38-year-old and a 55-year-old. Two female passengers, one from each vehicle, were rescued and taken to hospital. The Federal Highway Police said the cause remained under investigation.

All four incidents remain under investigation by the relevant authorities.