You're reading: Update: At least 38 people killed in train, bus collision in Ukraine (PHOTOS)

A crowded passenger bus collided with a train in eastern Ukraine Tuesday, killing at least 38 people and injuring 12, police said. Interior Ministry spokesman Yevheny Kravets said the collision occurred Tuesday morning outside the town of Marhanets in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast after the bus attempted to cross the track, ignoring a siren that indicated an oncoming train.

Rescuers, medics and investigators were working at the scene of the crash. 11 injured passengers are in critical condition, officials said.

Road and railway accidents are common in Ukraine where the roads are in poor condition, vehicles are poorly maintained and drivers and passengers routinely disregard safety and traffic rules.

The accident happened around 9 a.m. on Tuesday morning on 116th kilometer of the Prydniprovska railroad "Nikopol-Marganets," officials said. The collision happened at the unguarded railway crossing. "The crossing was closed, and the alarm was on, signaling the railroad is closed for vehicular traffic," the press service noticed.

Local railway officials said the bus attempted to cross the track, ignoring a siren that indicated an oncoming train. An investigation shows that the alarm at the unguarded crossing was working.

The State Railroad Administration of Ukraine (“Ukrzaliznytsia”) said the preliminary cause of the accident was the bus driver’s violation of traffic safety rules at the railroad crossing. "The bus driver ignored the prohibiting traffic lights of the railroad alarm and drove out to the crossing in a close vicinity to the approaching train. As a result the bus and the train collided,” the press service announced.

The bus was on the route from Nikopol to Marganets.