At least 7 killed in Chile when a train crashes into a minibus at a railway crossing

SANTIAGO, Chile — A passenger train in Chile collided with a minibus Friday and dragged it for several meters (yards), killing six people and injuring several others, authorities said.

The accident took place at a railway crossing near the town of San Pedro de La Paz, some 500 kilometers (310 miles) south of the Chilean capital.

The minibus was carrying 14 passengers, seven of whom were killed in the accident, police Maj. Juan Francisco Carrasco said. Eight people were injured, law enforcement official Alejandro Morgenstern told journalists at the scene.

The nearby Guillermo Grant Benavente Hospital reported five people were seriously injured, three of whom underwent surgery.

Chile’s State Railway Company issued a statement saying that at the time of the collision at the railway crossing, the barriers to vehicle traffic were down and operating normally. It said that had been confirmed by reviewing security camera footage.

The state-owned company said there are drivers who “do not respect the barriers on a daily basis.”