US: Three people killed after Amtrak train collides with pickup train in New York

New York [US], May 19 (ANI): Three people were killed after an Amtrak train collided with a pickup truck in western New York, north of Buffalo in the US, CNN reported, citing fire officials.

All the passengers who were travelling in the truck died on the spot in North Tonawanda on Friday night, CNN reported, citing the city's fire chief. No injuries were reported to the 21 passengers and crew members on the train, according to Amtrak.

Amtrak train 281 was heading north from New York to Niagara Falls when it collided with a pickup truck on the track, according to Amtrak statement.

The three passengers were trapped in the truck when the North Tonawanda fire department arrived shortly before 8 pm ET and first responders from neighbouring areas reached to help, the department announced in a news release.

Railroad-highway grade crossing incidents are the second-leading cause of rail-related deaths in the US and over 200 deaths occur at grade crossings annually, CNN reported, citing the Federal Railroad Administration.

Earlier on Tuesday, a 30-year-old software engineer from Hyderabad died in a road accident in North Carolina, US. Abbaraju Prudhvi Raj was killed in the accident which occurred on Tuesday night in north Charlotte. The man has been identified as a native of LB Nagar in Telangana's Hyderabad who died in a tragic road accident in the US.

The sister of the deceased, Pratyusha, expressed her pain over the death of her brother and shared that their father died two years ago. She added that they have information that her brother got killed in a hit-and-run accident but are not sure. (ANI)