In a tragic coincidence, two men were killed in train collisions in unrelated incidents Tuesday and Wednesday, and one was a homeless man in East Oakland.

A pair of unfortunate incidents involving trains happened in Oakland over the span of 17 hours between Tuesday and Wednesday.

In the first incident, a man identified as a frequently seen transient in the area was seen standing next to the railroad tracks in the area of 37th Avenue and East 9th Street when he was struck and killed by an Amtrak train at around 9:40 am Tuesday. As the Chronicle reports, city workers had been in the area clearing a homeless encampment, but the man who died was not a resident of that encampment. He was, however, reportedly known to stay in encampments nearby.

The man's name and age have not been released. Amtrak is reportedly working with local law enforcement to investigate the incident.

It's not clear if the man walked in front of the approaching train intentionally, but Bay Area News Group reported that he may have been "fleeing from a dispute" and was seen trying to walk or run across the tracks when he was struck by the train.

City officials say they were clearing out the encampment in part because of its dangerous proximity to the train tracks.

The second incident occurred Wednesday morning around 2:54 am, further south in the area of 60th Avenue and San Leandro Street. As Bay Area News Group reports, a man was reportedly sitting on the train tracks when he was struck by an eastbound Union Pacific freight train.

The man was reportedly killed instantly, and his identity has not been released. This incident is also under investigation.

Photo by Arthur