Train kills couple as they tussle on tracks during row

They had been standing on the platform at Harlow Mill in Essex when they started to argue.

Witnesses said the woman got on to the track during the blazing row and the man followed, pleading with her to get to safety. They died instantly at about 8am. The train passing through Harlow Mill in Essex struck them as the driver desperately slammed on the brakes.

This afternoon a tarpaulin covered the spot where the couple were hit and where one of the bodies was left. Another tarpaulin was laid over the other body which was carried along the track after the impact.

Police are examining film taken from a camera at the front of the packed commuter train to try to discover why they came to be on the track.

Detective Chief Inspector David Shepperlee said the CCTV showed the pair "pulling at each other and tussling" as the train struck.

He said: "It's not clear at the moment who was pulling who and for what reason. It may be that the man was trying to pull the woman out of the path of the train but at this stage in the investigation we are not quite sure."

Mr Shepperlee confirmed that a witness heard "raised voices". He said: "There's been a suggestion by someone working locally that there may have been some sort of raised voices - that is the way it was described."

He said there had been three suicides at the station in three months, adding: "This is something we will be informing the coroner about." Mr Shepperlee said: "The driver is in shock, he is traumatisedand being well cared for by his employers." Naveed Riaz, a 29-year-old software tester from Bishop's Stortford was in the first carriage.

He said: "The alarm suddenly went off for at least five seconds as the train started to slow down. The carriage was shuddering and you could feel the vibrations under your feet. I thought we were going over some debris or rocks."

Mr Riaz said he saw the driver step down onto the track. "His face was blank, he looked like he was in shock. He went round to the front of the train and then came back looking really upset and chain-smoking."

A police spokesman said: "We would urge anyone on the platform at the time to contact us on 0800 405040."

The bodies were removed from the track at 2pm. Officers believe they know their identities. It is understood they were a local couple.

More than 500 commuters were on the eight-carriage 6.18 from King's Lynn to Liverpool Street. They were stuck on the train until police allowed the train to be moved shortly after 11.40am.

They were then taken to Harlow Town station to continue their journey to London - though many decided to return home. Commuters faced disruption as services between Cambridge and Liverpool Street, via Harlow Mill, were disrupted with alterations, cancellations and delays. Train services were halted in both directions with buses ferrying passengers between Bishop's Stortford and Broxbourne.

The line between Bishop's Stortford and Broxbourne did not reopen until 3.40pm - meaning major disruption for tens of thousands of Liverpool Street commuters trying to get home.

Passenger Yvonne Hall condemned National Express for not doing enough to help stranded passengers. She said: "I felt a bump as we came through Harlow Mill and knew we had hit something. I feel desperately sorry for the driver who was very good in stopping so quickly. But then we were left stranded on the train for nearly four hours. We were only given little scraps of information and no water or refreshments of any kind."