A person has died after being hit by a freight train at a level crossing in Darfield in rural Canterbury.
A KiwiRail spokesperson said the loaded train was travelling from Darfield to Christchurch when the incident occurred, shortly after 7am.
In an update about 11am police confirmed the person had died.
They were struck on the Mathias St crossing near State Highway 73. Both roads were closed for a time, but about 12.30pm police advised that a scene examination had been completed and the highway had reopened.
The KiwiRail spokesperson said there were warning lights and bells at the level crossing.
"The rail line is currently closed so this morning’s TranzAlpine service from Christchurch to Greymouth has been replaced by buses.”
A police inquiry is under way.
It comes after a train collided with a stolen car on Lincoln Rd in Addington on Tuesday morning.
Police are making inquiries into the collision between the stolen Toyota Prius and the train passing through the crossing.
The Prius was driven by what The New Zealand Herald understands were “a couple of teens”. They had been fleeing police before it was struck by the train.
It’s understood a youth was driving through the level crossing when the car was struck, causing severe damage.
- Star News/RNZ
