Two people electrocuted on east London Overground train tracks
Two men have died after being electrocuted on railway tracks in east London today.
The bodies of the men were found separately on the lines between Hackney Wick and Stratford in the early hours.
Detectives are believed to be investigating the possibility that the pair were involved in graffiti-writing when they were killed.
Police said the bodies showed injuries “consistent with electrocution” and that efforts were being made to identify the men.
Officers from British Transport Police found the first body after being called to reports of a person on the tracks at 1am.
They were called again at 2.31am and found the other body, which was closer to Stratford Station.
Novelist Joseph Allchin, 35, whose flat overlooks the track, phoned emergency services when he heard a bang.
He told the Standard: “I heard a loud explosion and went to the window and saw a fire on the tracks next to a stationary freight train. I thought it was fireworks at first.
“I was concerned because of the freight train. It had a large white canister, so I was worried it would blow up.
“The fire was igniting underneath the train. I thought someone had thrown something burning onto the tracks.
“It’s so sad and strange.”
A resident who lives next to the railway line said: “We heard a huge bang in the night like a generator explosion. Then there were police and fire engines everywhere. We had no idea what was going on.”
One of the bodies is said to be a man in his twenties.
The two locations are on the same stretch of track on the Overground line between the two stops, close to the London Stadium. Detective Chief Inspector Tim Tubbs, from BTP, said: “An investigation is now under way to discover what happened and how these two people lost their lives on the railway.
“At this time we are treating their deaths as unexplained and are making a number of urgent enquiries.
“We would urge anyone who was near Stratford or Hackney Wick and saw anything which they think might be relevant to contact us.”
A BTP spokeswoman added: “Officers remain at the scene and are working to identify the deceased and inform their next of kin.”
Last year graffiti artists Jack Gilbert, 23, Harrison Scott-Hood, 23, and Alberto Fresneda Carrasco, 19, were all killed by a train in south London.
Spray cans were found close to the bodies on an elevated section of track between Brixton and Denmark Hill. Their families issued a statement saying “a love of painting” was the only thing they were guilty of.
