Freight train hits car, kills 2 people in northeast Montana

GLASGOW, Mont. (AP) — A Valley County couple died when the car they were in was struck by a freight train at an unmarked crossing in northeastern Montana, the Montana Highway Patrol said.

The crash happened just after noon on Monday west of Glasgow, Valley County Sheriff Tom Boyer told The Billings Gazette. The cause is under investigation.

The road the couple was turning off of was snow-packed and rises about 6 feet (1.8 meters) as it approaches the crossing.

"It's not a crossing you want to take going very fast," Boyer said. "Maybe it was just an error in judgment."

Dillon Cassel, 32, and Biaka Cassel, 27, died on impact. They had recently moved to Glasgow, and Biaka Cassel was a citizen of Thailand.

The BNSF Railway freight train was traveling about 65 mph (105 kph), the sheriff said.