7 die as commuter train hits SUV on tracks

A packed commuter train plowed into a sport utility vehicle on the tracks at a railroad crossing on Tuesday night, killing seven people, injuring several others and sending hundreds of passengers scrambling to get to safety as the front of the train and the SUV burst into flames.

The impact was so forceful the electrified third rail buckled and pierced the train, authorities said.

"You have seven people who started out today to go about their business and aren't going to be making it home tonight," Governor Andrew Cuomo said at the crash site in Valhalla, 32 kilometers north of New York City.