Two dead in Houston after car crashes into Amtrak train

Two people were killed Saturday night in Houston when their car crashed into an Amtrak train as the driver of the car tried to beat the train at a railroad crossing, police said. 

The crash occurred at around 8 p.m. local time at Beaumont Highway and Van Hut Lane when the driver of the Chrysler 300 drove around the crossing arms that signaled the approaching train, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement, which said flashing red lights and a bell were activated at the crossing to indicate the train’s arrival. 

The car was engulfed in flames on impact, and the driver and the passenger were ejected, police said. Both were pronounced dead at the scene, police said. 

Two passengers on the train were taken to a hospital, Amtrak spokesperson Kimberly Woods said.

The train was traveling from New Orleans to Los Angeles with 81 passengers and 11 crew members onboard, said Woods, who added that it remained upright and intact on the rails after the crash. 

Amtrak is working with the Vehicle Crimes Division of the Harris County Sheriff’s Office to investigate, according to Woods and a sheriff’s statement.

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