Four released by police probing train death

Four people were released on bail by police investigating the suspicious death of a teenage boy who was struck by a train.

A 15-year-old boy and two men, aged 37 and 22, were arrested and 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.

Another man was later arrested in connection with the incident but all four were released pending further inquiries.

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.