A young man died in the railway tunnel between Brussels North Station and Brussels Central Station around midnight on Tuesday evening. Everything points to a fatal case of "train surfing," according to the police.
Just before midnight, the young man climbed onto a train in Brussels North Station that was heading towards Brussels Midi Station. The railway police confirmed to Bruzz that it concerned a person who was "train surfing," an extremely dangerous activity in which people climb onto moving trains.
Belgian railway operator SNCB/NMBS confirmed to The Brussels Times that "an accident involving a person" happened between the stations of Brussels Congres and Brussels Central around midnight on Tuesday evening.
"We do not know for certain whether it concerned a so-called 'train surfer.' The Public Prosecutor's Office has opened an investigation into the circumstances of the accident," said spokesperson Dimitri Temmerman.
A train conductor reported on social media that the young man climbed into the space between two coupled train carriages, before falling from the moving train, Het Laatste Nieuws reports. The young man's body was found around midnight in the North-South tunnel. Emergency services attempted to resuscitate him, but all help was too late.
Police were unable to provide an age at this time; it is not yet clear whether the victim was a minor.
The busy railway line was closed to allow police and the Public Prosecutor's Office to make initial assessments last night, but was reopened several hours later. There were no disruptions to the morning rush hour.
