Four members of one family died when a passenger train hit a minibus at a level crossing in the village of Gidigeni, Galati county, on Thursday, October 1, the Galati county police inspectorate says.
The dead are the minibus driver, his daughter, his daughter-in-law and his 12-year-old granddaughter. Police confirmed a man, two women and a minor died in the crash. All four suffered injuries that could not be survived after the very heavy impact.
Medical teams who reached the scene could not save anyone and confirmed the deaths of everyone in the minibus. The emergency inspectorate sent a fire engine, a team to cut victims free from the wreckage, an SMURD type B1 ambulance and an ambulance from the Galati county ambulance service.
The train was travelling from Bucharest North to Iasi. The crossing is on county road DJ240.
Traffic police and forensic investigators are working at the scene, and an investigation has begun. They are checking whether the crossing had proper safety equipment and whether the driver followed the sound and light signals. Early findings suggest he did not look before crossing the tracks.
Rail traffic through Gidigeni is completely blocked in both directions, and the train remains stopped on the line until the inspection is over. Crews are clearing the tracks.