A 15-year-old boy has been found dead in Co Antrim after he was reportedly chased by a gang of youths.
The body of Ryan Quinn (15) was found on rail tracks near Portrush after a call to police at 11pm last night. Police are treating the death as suspicious.
It is understood that shortly before the fatal incident he was being chased by a group of teenagers following an altercation in a licensed premises.
The line between Portrush and Coleraine remains closed as examinations are carried out.
Assembly member for the area John Dallat described the incident as “a tragedy almost beyond belief”.
“It seems the boy was fleeing some kind of incident, escaping along a narrow lane that leads up to the Portrush-Coleraine railway,” said the SDLP representative.
"The PSNI major incidents team is in Coleraine trying to piece together the events leading up to the death.”
A spokeswoman for train operator Translink said the company was assisting the police with the investigation.
“We can confirm there was an incident on the Derry line at approximately 11pm last night where a young man died,” she said. “We extend our sympathies and condolences to the young man’s family.”
Police have appealed for witnesses to come forward.