Two people have died following a crash between a vehicle and a passenger train near Melbourne, west of London.
Police say a Via Rail train was travelling eastbound on the rail road tracks around 10:30 a.m. Monday morning.
A grey Ford car was travelling southbound on Melbourne Road. The vehicles collided at the rail crossing.
The car was in the north side ditch, east of Melbourne Road, and the train stopped east of the crossing. The crossing is governed by wig wag lights, but not crossing arms.
OPP say the two occupants of the car, a 39-year-old female driver, and the 37-year-old female passenger, both from Strathroy Caradoc, Ont., are deceased. Their identities are being withheld pending notification of next-of-kin.
There were about 80 people aboard the eastbound train, one of whom reported a minor injury but declined an ambulance.
“Everybody on board is fine,” said OPP Sgt. Dave Rektor.
Rector said OPP officers are working with CN Police to determine if the lights were flashing at the time of the crash. He said the roads were clear at the time.
"I’ve been at another crash at this intersection that resulted in fatal injuries several years ago. It’s a well-marked railway crossing. Oftentimes you find that driver error is a causal factor," Rektor said.
Those on board the train had to remain there until they were cleared to leave about 3:15 p.m.
"The passengers have to remain on board. You can't let them off, it's a very unsafe environment," Rektor said.
He said the train has some front-end damage and CN is determining the extent of it.
