Girl, 11, hit and killed by train in front of friends on bridge
A young girl has been struck and killed by a freight train in front of her friends after they attempted to cross a railway bridge in New Zealand on Sunday.
Police were called to the scene at Ngāruawāhia in the Waikato township on Sunday evening after the 11-year-old girl was fatally struck.
The bridge is notorious for people dodging trains to jump off into the water below.
Authorities believe her young friends would have witnessed the harrowing incident but said they don’t believe they were intending to jump from the bridge given the cool temperatures on the day.
"They heard the train coming from the south and decided to get off the bridge,” Western Waikato police area prevention manager Senior Sergeant Dave Hall told Fairfax.
"They were seen running north, trying to get off the tracks and the young girl hasn't made it in time and was struck by the train."
This stretch of railway line has long been a concern to Kiwirail, with many documented near-misses and police routinely called to clear people from the rail bridge.
"There's fences, notices and education advising people to stay off the tracks because of this scenario, where you have to talk about someone losing their life,” Sgt Hall added.
"The family are now having to deal with the loss of life because children chose to play in an area where they shouldn't be."
In 2002, Jayden Nerihana Tepu, 9, died when he lost his footing on the bridge and was struck by a train.
The girl's death has been referred to the coroner.
Top videos
