Three suspects fled in their getaway vehicles after multiple victims were reported shot in southern Illinois state. The incident happened Thursday afternoon and the suspects have remained on the loose, since.?

The shooting happened after 4 pm, Illinois State Police said in a press release.

The St. Clair County Sheriff's Office said that the suspects shot multiple people in Illinois' East St. Louis, but it wasn't immediately clear how many were shot, local media reported. East St. Louis is located about 9.66 Kilometres.? to the east of St. Louis, Missouri.

The shooting suspects tried to outrun a Metro Link train at a nearby crossing path but their vehicle was struck there for some time, the police station said. Following that, the Police were searching for the suspects in a wooded area.

The public was asked to avoid the area of the shooting, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

MetroLink was warning of delays of an hour or more in that area. Passengers were being transported by bus shuttles around the two affected stations, said Patti Beck, a communications official with Bi-State Development, which operates MetroLink.

No further information was immediately available.