VIDEO: 7 killed as motorist strikes people outside Texas migrant center

Seven people died and as many as six others were injured Sunday in Texas when a driver crashed into them outside a facility housing migrants in the southern US state, police said.

The sport utility vehicle "ran over several people that were waiting at a bus stop" in Brownsville, a border city at the southernmost tip of Texas, local police spokesman Martin Sandoval told an ABC affiliate.

Between four and six people were transported to hospital with injuries, he said.

The motorist was detained by witnesses until the arrival of police, who charged him with reckless driving.

"More than likely there's going to be other charges coming on later," Sandoval said, without clarifying what additional charges might be brought.

Authorities have launched an investigation to see whether the fatal crash was an accident or intentional, he added.

It was not immediately clear whether the victims were migrants.

The news of the tragedy comes as authorities brace for the lifting on Thursday of a Donald Trump-era federal policy that allows border patrol officers to deport or turn away migrants without even accepting their asylum applications.

The looming expiration of the rule known as Title 42 has authorities fearing a spike in undocumented migrants entering the United States.

The homeless shelter across the street from where the crash occurred is currently housing some migrants due to the current "influx" of people crossing the border from Mexico, according to Sandoval.