A person was killed by an Amtrak train at an Andover, Massachusetts, rail crossing after they'd waited for another train to pass going the other way on Thursday, officials said.
The person had been standing near the intersection of Essex Street and the train tracks — the crossing is near the Andover MBTA Commuter Rail stop — waiting for a southbound train to pass the intersection about 4:30 p.m., according to the Essex County District Attorney's Office.
The victim was identified as Zhongli Zhang, 85, of Railroad Street in Andover.
While exact details of what happened next weren't immediately clear, prosecutors said Zhang was hit by an Amtrak Downeaster train heading north through Andover right after the southbound train cleared the intersection.
Officials shared that the lights and gates at the crossing were engaged and working for both trains.
MBTA commuter trains were canceled Thursday afternoon as police investigated what happened, and the agency brought in shuttle buses to bring passengers between Ballardvale and Haverhill. Amtrak Downeaster Train 685 was delayed about three hours amid the police activity.
Andover, state, Amtrak and MBTA police were investigating what happened, prosecutors said.
