A Canadian National Railway employee is dead after he was hit by a freight train in east-central Saskatchewan.

The accident happened near Crooked River, about 230 kilometres northeast of Saskatoon, just after 6:30 p.m. Monday.

RCMP say the 39-year-old man was taken to hospital, where he later died of his injuries. His name hasn't been released.

It's believed the man was part of the train crew and may have been hit during a track-switching procedure.

CN has not released any details of the accident, but company spokesman Warren Chandler says the employee died during the performance of his duties.

With files from The Canadian Press