Five people were killed as a commuter train collided with an SUV in Indiana after the car went around an active railroad crossing, authorities said.
The train, operated by South Shore Line, a commuter rail line that runs between downtown Chicago and the South, struck the SUV in Gary around 10 p.m. June 25, Gary Police Department said in a news release. Authorities arrived at the scene to find five deceased victims, “who were ejected from an SUV, which was severely damaged.”
“Preliminary investigation suggests that the vehicle struck by the train went around an active railroad crossing,” police said in the news release, adding authorities “are actively investigating the fatal crash.”
The victims have not yet been identified, and details will be provided once their families have been notified, police said. They were taken to the Lake County Coroner’s Office.
32 people were on board the train
Meanwhile, several crew members and passengers were on board the South Shore Train during the collision, but did not sustain any injuries. South Shore Line President Mike Noland told Wane and CBS Chicago 32 people were on the train at the time of the accident.
“The Gary Police Department extends our sincere condolences to the friends and families of those affected by this heartbreaking tragedy,” the news release said. “You are in our thoughts and prayers, and we are committed to providing you with unwavering support during this difficult time.”
Describing the incident as a “tragedy,” Noland told Wane and CBS Chicago that they “always want people to be extremely careful around trains and train tracks and to expect a train on a track at any time.”
“There is a tragedy when five human beings are lost and our hearts go out to the family of the loved ones who experienced loss in this accident,” the exec added.
Train services were temporarily suspended but were restored soon after, local media reported.
Gary, in north Indiana, is about 35 miles southeast of Chicago, Illinois.