Emergency personnel responded about 3:10 a.m. Monday to the railroad crossing at DD Road and Ramsey Road in Columbia after a southbound Union Pacific train struck an unoccupied car on the tracks.

The car, a gray 2004 Pontiac Vibe, sustained heavy front-end damage in the incident. Police said the train conductor saw the vehicle stalled partly on the tracks and that it was not occupied, but was unable to prevent a collision.

The Columbia Police Department requested the Columbia Fire Department to use its aerial drone in a search effort to make sure the car’s driver was not injured nearby. The vehicle belongs to a St. Louis County man, police said.

Police contacted authorities across the river in subsequent attempts to locate the driver.