Updated

At least two people were killed and 30 injured, two critically, Friday when a two-carriage train slammed into a truck at a crossing in rural southeastern Australia, police said.

"Just after 4 p.m. (0600 GMT) a train has hit a truck," Victoria state police spokeswoman Senior Constable Julie-Anne Newman said.

"There are two persons deceased and in excess of 30 injured, including two with life-threatening injuries."

The train's driver was airlifted to Melbourne's Alfred Hospital for treatment.

CountryWatch: Australia

Dionne Lew, a spokeswoman for V/Line, the company that operated the train, said 37 people were on the train at the time it hit the truck at a level crossing which was not guarded by gates. The circumstances of the accident were to be investigated, she added.

Police, ambulance crews and emergency service volunteers were at the scene at the Burrumbeet crossing in Trawalla, between the towns of Ballarat and Ararat, about 200 kilometers west of Victoria state capital, Melbourne.

The train, which travels at speeds of up to 160 kph (100 mph), was traveling from Ararat to the state capital Melbourne.