The boy's mother managed to roll to safety.
An eight-year-old boy has been killed by a train after a man pushed him and his mother onto the tracks in Frankfurt, Germany, police say.
The Guardian reports that the boy was hit by a high-speed ICE train and killed instantly, while his mother was able to roll into a safe gap between two platforms and escaped injury.
The suspect was chased through the station by passengers who tackled him to the ground. Police later confirmed a 40-year-old man of African origin had been arrested.
The incident happened at about 10am on Monday on platform seven of the station, which is one of Germany’s busiest.
The boy’s mother was being treated for shock, according to a police spokeswoman.
“Passengers witnessed the disaster, and ran after the fleeing man. It was possible to arrest him while he was still in the station,” the spokeswoman said. She added that the man had intended to push a third person on to the track, “but she was able to defend herself”.
The suspect is believed to be from Eritrea, according to police. He was being held in police custody on Monday but his possible motive remained unclear. The alleged perpetrator and the victims are not believed to have known each other.
