A five-car commuter train hit a truck and derailed in the Los Angeles suburb of Burbank today killing one person and injuring several others, officials said.
The truck apparently exploded on impact and the burning wreckage could be seen near the tracks. It was not clear whether the dead person was in the truck or on the train.
Several cars of the Metrolink commuter train left the tracks at a crossing near the Burbank Airport at about 9:30 a.m. local time (5:30 p.m. Irish time) and at least two cars had rolled onto their sides, Metrolink spokeswoman Ms Sharon Gavin said.
Ms Gavin said there were about 50 passengers aboard the train, which was bound for downtown Los Angeles' Union Station from the town of Santa Clarita, northwest of Los Angeles.
The extent and severity of the injuries were not known. Local television showed emergency workers pulling some passengers from the derailed train cars on stretchers.
The truck, which had crossed onto the tracks between the crossing arms, exploded and was destroyed, a spokesman for the Burbank Fire Department said. Emergency workers set up a triage area.
The accident came as high winds forced cancellation of some Metrolink services in Southern California and caused scattered power outages throughout the region.