Five footboard commuters of train killed

Chennai : Five commuters travelling on the footboard of a suburban train were killed on Tuesday morning here after they hit a concrete wall very close to the railway track, said police.

Seven others were injured in the accident which happened at the St. Thomas Mount station. The train was bound for Thirumalpur from Chennai Beach.

Owing to cable problems, the frequency of the suburban trains got reduced and so they were crowded.

Three of the deceased have been identified as school students. Two were college students, Praveen Kumar and Sivakumar.

The injured have been admitted to the Government Royapettah Hospital.

Regular commuters on this stretch demanded that the wall be demolished owing to frequent accidents at the same spot.