Five people died and a girl suffered serious injuries when a train and a minivan collided Sunday morning in Colorado.
The front of an Amtrak train struck the side of a 2005 Chrysler Town & Country around 9:45 a.m. after the van failed to stop for the locomotive, according to the Colorado State Patrol. The impact pushed the van west on the railroad tracks until the train was able to stop.
The driver of the Chrysler and four passengers died in the accident. A fifth passenger, identified by KMGH as a juvenile girl, was airlifted from the scene and taken to a Denver hospital, state troopers said. According to KMGH, three juveniles died in the crash.
Authorities did not immediately identify the people killed, citing the need to notify next of kin.
The accident happened near Trinidad in Las Animas County, roughly 200 miles south of Denver.
Investigators believe the van failed to yield right of way to the train, which led to the crash. Authorities do not believe drugs or alcohol played a role in the collision.
The train was on its way to Los Angeles from Chicago and had 286 people on board at the time of the crash, an Amtrak representative told The Denver Post. Passengers were stranded Sunday afternoon, although no one on the train was injured.
The Colorado State Patrol is investigating the crash.
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