PA ImagesAn eight-year-old boy has reportedly been killed after a man deliberately pushed him and his mum onto railway tracks in Germany, police say.
The mum and son were said to be standing on a platform at Frankfurt’s main train station, which at the time was ’full of children’, when they were pushed in front of a train, while people looked on in disbelief.
As reported by the Mirror, commuters ‘collapsed’ after seeing the horrific event, according to one witness.
PA ImagesThe ICE train, which was travelling across Germany from Dusseldorf to Munich at high speed, hit the boy as it pulled into the central station at around 10am local time on Monday.
His mum, a 40-year-old woman, managed to roll herself to safety thanks to a gap between the tracks, however the young boy was run over by the train and suffered fatal injuries.
The suspect apparently then unsuccessfully tried to push another person onto the track, police said.
PA ImagesA 40-year-old man from Eritrea fled the scene with passers-by chasing him and he was eventually arrested by police who are said to be treating the incident as a suspected homicide. However, at this time there is no information on a possible motive.
As reported by ABC News, police spokeswoman Isabell Neumann said there appeared to be no connection between the suspect and the victims.
The mother was taken to hospital to be treated, however there is no immediate information on her injuries.
This comes after a 14-year-old boy died on July 14 after he lay down on the tracks at Chertsey station in Surrey.
Sam Cannon/FacebookThe schoolboy reportedly handed over what’s believed to be a suicide note containing two names and a code to unlock his mobile phone before he was hit by the train.
It’s thought Sam suffered at the hands of online trolls who bullied him by posting nasty comments on the internet.
A relative told MailOnline:
There were just a couple of names and the code to his phone. He was a smart kid, you know. I think if anything went wrong he’s put it in his phone and said, there you go.
He handed the phone over and the password and also a couple of names, when he handed it to his friend. It doesn’t bear thinking about.
PA ImagesBritish Transport Police detective inspector Darren Gough issued a statement which read:
First and foremost, I would like to express my deepest sorrow for the family of Sam Connor. On Monday their lives were shattered by the dreadful news that he had died in truly tragic circumstances.
This is an ongoing investigation, however our initial enquiries suggest that tragically, this may have been a deliberate act. Of course, our investigation is on going and we will provide our evidence to HM Coroner as part of an inquest into Sam’s death.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues, and want to speak to someone in confidence, please don’t suffer alone. Call Samaritans for free on their anonymous 24-hour phone line on 116 123
Emma Rosemurgey is an NCTJ trained Journalist who started her career by producing The Royal Rosemurgey newspaper in 2004, which kept her family up to date with the goings on of her sleepy north east village. She graduated from the University of Central Lancashire in Preston and started her career in regional newspapers before joining Tyla (formerly Pretty 52) in 2017, and progressing onto UNILAD in 2019.