PSNI hold three in connection with Antrim rail death

Police in the North investigating the suspicious death of a teenage boy who was struck by a train arrested three people today.

A 15-year-old boy and two men, aged 37 and 22, are being questioned about the death of 14-year-old Ryan Quinn on a railway line between the coastal towns of Portrush and Portstewart in the North.

Ryan, who was from Portrush but who had been living in nearby Coleraine, died after being hit by a train on Friday night amid reports he was being chased by a group of males shortly before the incident.

Police said he had been socialising at the nearby bar in the hours before his death when an altercation took place. Officers want to speak to anyone who saw the row break out.

It is understood Ryan fled down a narrow pathway before somehow getting onto the tracks. It is believed he phoned his father looking for help just moments before being hit by a passing train.

Train operator Translink is assisting the police with the investigation.

Stormont Assembly member John Dallat said the boy's death was "a tragedy almost beyond belief".

"I would encourage anyone who knows anything about the events leading up to the tragedy to get in touch with the police and tell them what they know," he said.