EAST CHICAGO, Ind. (WGN) — Two 5-year-old girls were among six people killed over the weekend in two separate train crashes in the Chicago area.
On Sunday, two adults and a 5-year-old were killed after a Metra train struck their vehicle in Chicago.
Authorities told The Chicago Sun-Times that a train heading north into the city hit the vehicle just after 5 p.m. on the city’s Far South Side.
Metra spokeswoman Meg Reile said the force of the impact caused the train’s front car to partially derail and the vehicle caught fire. The man, woman and child — believed to be a family — were pronounced dead at the scene, reported The Sun-Times.
It was not immediately known how fast the train was traveling at the time of the collision.
On Saturday, three people were killed, including a 5-year-old girl, after a train hit a minivan in East Chicago, Indiana, located about 25 miles away from Chicago.
Police said a 36-year-old man, a 38-year-old woman and the 5-year-old were pronounced dead at the scene of the crash, which happened just before 1 a.m. Three boys ranging from 7 to 10 years old were taken to the hospital in critical condition.
An initial investigation showed the driver of the minivan disregarded train signals as the train was approaching and went around the gate.
Both crashes are under investigation.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.