UPDATE
Authorities have identified two people who were killed when the car they were riding in collided with a train Thursday in Jefferson County.
Shamri Cole-Cox, 27, and Talisa Cannon, 28, both of Altheimer, died at the scene, a railroad crossing at Garrett Road in Wabbaseka, the Jefferson County sheriff's office said in a statement. It happened around 1:20 p.m.
The driver, identified as 31-year-old Genesis Dendy of Altheimer, was flown to Baptist Health Medical Center in Little Rock. She was said to be in critical condition.
EARLIER:
Two people are confirmed dead and another person is reported injured after a crash involving a vehicle and a train Thursday afternoon in Arkansas, according to authorities.
Major Lafayette Woods Jr. of the Jefferson County sheriff’s office said the agency was called around 1:20 p.m. to a railroad crossing at Garrett Road in Wabbaseka, which is about 19 miles north and east of Pine Bluff.
Authorities say that after the crash, the blue Chevrolet Cruze traveled about 1,537 feet from the point of impact and came to a rest at Pawpaw Street.
Emergency personnel on scene checked vital signs on two 28-year-old passengers inside the vehicle but were not able to find signs of life, Woods said.
The Jefferson County coroner later arrived and pronounced the two passengers dead.
The driver of the vehicle, whose identity was not released, was flown to Baptist Health Medical Center in Little Rock for medical treatment. The extent of that person’s injuries was not known as of around 4:20 p.m.
All victims were reported to be black females, Woods said.
The two-engine Union Pacific Railroad train, carrying 42 loaded cars and 68 empty cars, was occupied by one conductor and one engineer, Woods said. It was traveling south from St. Louis toward Pine Bluff.
Neither person on board was injured, according to authorities.
Woods said the railroad crossing only had stop signs and no other warnings signs for motorists.
Jeff DeGraff, a spokesman for Union Pacific, said the westbound car was believed to have proceeded through the crossing without stopping at the stop sign, at which point the southbound train hit the vehicle's passenger's side.
"Hopefully this serves as a reminder of how important it is to heed warnings," DeGraff said, adding that the railroad company sends its condolences after the "tragic accident" to the victims' families.
Check back with Arkansas Online for updates on this developing story and read Friday’s Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.