Child among 3 killed in western New York after vehicle hit by Amtrak train

A 6-year-old boy was among three people killed when a northbound Amtrak train hit a pickup truck in western New York, fire officials said on Saturday.

Amtrak Train 281 was traveling from New York to Niagara Falls when it hit a Dodge truck Friday evening in North Tonawanda, a city in Niagara County around 13 miles from the Canadian border. Three people were trapped in the car, officials said, and they requested assistance with extra extrication equipment to pull them from the vehicle.

Three ambulances arrived and medics attempted to resuscitate them, but they died at the scene, fire officials said.

The victims included a 6-year-old boy, a 66-year-old woman and a 69-year-old man, North Tonawanda Police Department Captain Daryl Truty said in a statement posted on Saturday. The names of the victims had not been released as of Sunday morning.

An Amtrak spokesperson told CBS News on Saturday that the vehicle was obstructing the track at the time of the crash.

"There have been no reported injuries to the 21 passengers or crew onboard. Amtrak is working with local law enforcement to investigate the incident," said the spokesperson.

Further details were not available.

Crossing incidents are the second leading cause of rail-related deaths in America, according to the Federal Railroad Administration. In 2023, there were 2,190 collisions and 248 deaths.