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NEW BUFFALO TOWNSHIP — 11 people were injured after an Amtrak train struck two vehicles Thursday evening at the Lakeside Road crossing in New Buffalo Township, according to the Berrien County Sheriff’s Office.

At approximately 9:21 p.m. a vehicle was stuck on the railroad tracks and was in the process of being removed by a tow truck at the Lakeside Road crossing in New Buffalo Township. 

A westbound Amtrak train was unable to stop and collided with the vehicle and tow truck on the tracks. The train derailed but stayed upright on the tracks. The engineer and approximately 10 passengers received non-life threatening injuries and were treated by local ambulance services. 

There were approximately 200 passengers on the train that were evacuated safely. A temporary shelter was established at New Buffalo High School and school buses were used to transport passengers to the shelter. Many passengers were picked up by family members and friends at the school and Amtrak provided buses to transport the remaining passengers to the Amtrak train station in Chicago at approximately 12:40 a.m. early Friday morning.

The incident remains under investigation and no further information is available at this time.