In Columbus, Montana, a tragic incident is under investigation following the death of a rail conductor who was struck by a train on Sunday, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.

The conductor, employed by BNSF Railway, was involved in the accident, as reported on the social media platform X by the agency. BNSF Railway is a major player, managing one of the largest freight rail networks across the United States.

The fatal event took place around 9:40 a.m. in Columbus, a small community roughly 40 miles southwest of Billings, with a population of about 2,000 residents.

Nick Jacobs, the assistant chief of Columbus Fire Rescue, mentioned that emergency responders are still piecing together the details. The incident involved an individual positioned between two trains—one stationary and the other in motion on parallel tracks.

“The moving train somehow struck him,” Jacobs explained.

The NTSB and Federal Railroad Administration officials were at the scene, Jacobs said.

A spokesperson for BNSF said the company was referring all questions to the NTSB.

The identity of the deceased was not immediately released.

A report by the Federal Railroad Administration last year found BNSF was generally striving to improve safety on a consistent basis, but that message didn’t always reach front-line workers who often didn’t feel comfortable reporting safety concerns for fear of being disciplined.

The agency prepared the report as part of an effort to review all major railroads to address safety concerns after a 2023 Norfolk Southern train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio.