One minor was killed and another seriously injured late Thursday after being hit by a freight train in the German town of Recklinghausen in North Rhine-Westphalia, German police said.
A ten-year-old boy was seriously injured and a nine-year-old boy suffered serious injuries and was initially taken to hospital, only to die shortly afterwards, police told DPA.
Earlier, the Minister of the Interior of North Rhine-Westphalia, Herbert Reul, went to the scene and said that the nine-year-old boy was struggling to survive.
According to initial reports in the local media, a group of young people, including minors, had been trapped by the train and dragged several hundred meters, all after having been close to the tracks.
Firefighters have deployed a drone with thermal cameras to explore the scene. Meanwhile, the affected section of track has been closed indefinitely, all while the circumstances of the incident continue to be investigated.
Numerous emergency services were deployed to the scene, including more than twenty police officers and some 35 firefighters and members of the emergency teams.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)