News is filtering through that a 14-year-old boy was electrocuted on the tube tracks at Ealing Broadway station at around 10.15pm yesterday:
Two youths were seen to get on to the track from the District line platforms. It is thought that one of them tripped and came into contact with the traction current rail.
The other youth left the vicinity of the station along the track.
A west-bound District line train with 52 passengers on board was stalled for 85 minutes while a track search for the missing youth was undertaken. Eventually the train arrived at Ealing Common station at 11.40pm.
London Underground have released this statement:
This is a tragic accident and our first thoughts are with the youth's family. We are deeply saddened that someone so young has lost their life in this way.
Such incidents are extremely rare on London Underground but it clearly shows the dangers of playing on the track. The railway is not a playground and we strongly urge anyone to think twice before doing so.
A police investigation is under way to determine the circumstances of this incident.
The first question that spring to mind is, were Underground staff present on the platform? If they were you'd assume that the kids wouldn't have gone on the tracks in the first place. Or is this kind of thing almost impossible to prevent?
