A collision between a truck and a train on the tracks in Maple Ridge late this afternoon has claimed a life.

Emergency crews were called to a railway crossing in Whonnock, at 272nd Street and Lougheed Highway, just after 5:30 Thursday afternoon, to discover a semi-trailer truck had been struck by a passing freight train.

Witnesses on scene said the force of the crash caused the trailer from the semi swing around and pin an SUV under. That vehicle was believed to be sitting at the crossing.

A woman driver was reportedly trapped inside.

Firefighters used the jaws of life to free her, and despite extensive life-saving measures, the woman was declared dead at the scene according to the witness.

Ridge Meadows RCMP, the Integrated Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Service (ICARS), as well as the BC Coroners Service are expected to be on scene much of the night, investigating the accident.

• More information as it comes available