Two teenage girls were killed in England today when they were hit by a train at a village level crossing.
It was thought the pair may have been rushing to catch a train when they were struck by another one on the pedestrian part of the crossing at Elsenham, Essex, shortly before 11am.
Villagers said the gate had a red warning light when trains were approaching, but it could still be opened at any time. They said two other people had died on the line in the last 20 years.
The girls' deaths were being treated as a "tragic accident" while the exact circumstances were investigated, British Transport Police said. One resident said that because of the layout of the station it was often not possible to see a train coming if another one travelling in the other direction was waiting at a platform.
This evening the station area was cordoned off as police studied the tracks, and train services were disrupted. The train that struck the girls was the 7.24 Central service from Birmingham New Street to Stansted Airport.