A late-night collision between a train and a vehicle near Chicago has killed five people, authorities said.
The crash occurred just before 11 p.m. near Highway 20 and Utah Street in Gary, Indiana, about 30 miles southeast of Chicago.
A vehicle with five occupants, traveling southbound on 7th Street, drove around the crossing gates and into the train’s path as a South Shore Line train approached the intersection of U.S. 12 and 7th Street, South Shore Line President Mike Noland told CBS News Chicago.
According to initial reports, the eastbound train carrying 32 people struck the SUV before coming to a halt.
All five occupants of the SUV died in the crash, the Gary Police Department confirmed.
Their identities have not been released as of Thursday.
There were no reported injuries among those aboard Train 133, which was returning from Chicago.
“Putting aside the fact we 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 families of the loved ones who experienced loss in this accident,” Noland said.
Train service was temporarily suspended but has since resumed, according to local ABC station WLS.
The South Shore Line is a commuter rail service operated by the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District, running between Millennium Station in downtown Chicago and South Bend International Airport in South Bend, Indiana.
