Child killed after being pushed in front of train in Germany

Witnesses 'broke down howling' as man shoved mother and eight-year-old boy onto tracks

A child has died after a man pushed him and his mother in front on an incoming high-speed train at Frankfurt’s main station, police said.

Witnesses reportedly saw a man dressed in dark clothes shove the pair onto the tracks as an InterCity Express train pulled into the station in the German city on Monday morning.

The mother, 40, was able to pull herself away from the train but her eight-year-old son was hit and suffered fatal injuries, police spokeswoman Isabell Neumann said.

The 40-year-old suspect, who is Eritrean, then apparently tried unsuccessfully to push another person onto the track.

He fled the scene with passers-by in pursuit and was arrested near the station.

One witness said people at the scene “broke down howling”, hessenschau.de reported.

They added that the station was “full of children” and several passengers received medical treatment after watching the incident.

The suspect was being questioned but there was no information on his possible motive, police said.

The child’s mother was taken to hospital and was also being questioned.

Police said there appeared to be no connection between the suspect and the victims.

A helicopter and 16 ambulances arrived at the station following the attack and five tracks were temporarily closed, hessenschau.de reported.

The InterCity Express train the child was hit by travels at speeds of up to 186mph.

It comes just over a week after a woman was reportedly pushed in front of a train in the German town of Voerde. The woman was instantly killed.

Additional reporting by AP