Train death: Man named

Alan Salter and Mike Keegan

1/ 3/2007

POLICE and rail officials probing the death of a young man on top of a freight train in Manchester city centre last night believe he may have ridden it for more than three miles before being killed by 25,000-volt overhead cables.

They are trying to discover whether 26-year-old Kashif Ghaffar of Kingsway in Burnage was a "train surfer" who paid the price of the dangerous craze as he tried to get off the container in the city.

Staff reported what they thought was a fire on the Freightliner train at Oxford Road last night. But after overhead power had been turned off, firefighters found the burned body of Mr Ghaffar on top of one of the rear wagons.

He was pronounced dead at the scene and is believed to have been electrocuted. The station was sealed off and all services through the city were halted until this morning because the power was turned off.

Records show that the train was stopped for seven minutes at a signal at Slade Lane junction, just a few hundred yards beyond Levenshulme station. The Freightliner train on its way from Felixstowe to Trafford Park was so long that it would have stretched back almost to the station, giving easy access to anyone wanting to climb aboard.

Fencing

Said a Network Rail spokesman: "British Transport Police are investigating the death but we will obviously need to know how he got onto the train. We will need to know if there is a defect in any fencing which needs to be repaired.

"But we run an open railway and at the vast majority of stations, someone can simply walk off the end of the platform onto the tracks."

There is no CCTV at Levenshulme station so police were trying to establish whether he was with anyone else when he climbed aboard.

A BTP spokesman said: "So far, we do not have a sighting of the man until witnesses reported a fire at Oxford Road so we are trying to establish where and when he got on."

Officials say that train surfing is not a particular problem in Greater Manchester at the moment.

Two years ago, however, 14-year-old Dean Hassell from Northwich had both legs amputated after he fell from a freight train which he had jumped onto with pals as it travelled slowly through a tunnel.

He was clinging to a ladder fixed to one of the trucks, but was pulled under as the freighter suddenly picked up speed.

Submitted on 03/01/2007

Submitted by: Richard W. Jones
Reference: Manchester Evening News, 01/03

Copyright © 2007 DarwinAwards.com

Chip said:
Neutral: For Darwin's Eyes
We already have this one under consideration but yours may add new information so I am marking this for Darwin to see. Thanks for sending it, Richard

James said:
Neutral: For Darwin's Eyes
Agreed! Now we know the victim's name, at least!

Graham said:
Neutral: For Darwin's Eyes
Thanks, but we have this one. Amazing - I was living in Levenshulme when I graduated Manchester University. Small world . . .

Tracy said:
Neutral: For Darwin's Eyes
A bit more info here

Bruce said:
Neutral: For Darwin's Eyes
Thanks for the additional information!