Train kills pedestrian walking beside railroad tracks on MS Coast, authorities say

A train hit and killed a man walking beside the tracks Thursday night in Biloxi, authorities said.

The man was walking on the wood slats just outside the track near the Iberville Drive crossing and was hit just before 11 p.m., said Sgt. Candace Young, a public information officer for Biloxi Police.

The city alerted residents that a train was stopped on the tracks at 11:30 p.m. The city said at 1:45 a.m. Friday that the crossing had reopened.

Authorities have not released the man’s identity.

Walking on or beside railroad tracks is considered trespassing anywhere besides a designated pedestrian or road crossing. Walking on or near tracks led to nine deaths and 13 injuries in Mississippi in 2024, according to Operation Lifesaver, which works to prevent railroad casualties. The organization said Mississippi is 20th in the country for its number of trespassing deaths and injuries each year, behind states including California, Texas and Florida.

The last collision at the Iberville Drive crossing was in 2008, Federal Railroad Administration records show, when a car was trapped on the tracks but the driver escaped in time.

This is a developing story and may be updated.