On Thursday in Riga, a 21-year-old man was killed under a passenger train. The tragedy occurred between the Tornakalns and Zasulauks stations, near the overpass on Altonavas Street. Train traffic towards Jurmala was disrupted due to the incident.
Emergency services and a forensic expert arrived at the scene. To remove the deceased from the railway tracks, the train had to be moved first.
A local resident told the TV3 Degpunktā program that people regularly cross the railway tracks at this location, despite the danger.
The train, which was heading to Kemeri, remained at the scene for a long time after the incident. It could only resume movement after receiving permission from the emergency services.
According to preliminary information, shortly before the collision, the young man was on the railway tracks outside of a designated crossing and did not react to what was happening around him.
“As soon as the driver noticed the person on the tracks, he immediately applied emergency braking and sounded the horn. However, it was not possible to avoid the collision. The Emergency Medical Service and the State Police were promptly called to the scene, and they carried out all necessary procedures,” said Vivi Sigita Paula, head of the communication and marketing department.
The reason why the 21-year-old man was on this section of the railway has not yet been established.
Vivi once again urged people to exercise particular caution near railway tracks: due to the large mass and speed of the train, it cannot be stopped instantly even with emergency braking.
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