Ukrainian girl, 16, killed in Germany by being pushed under freight train

A 16-year-old Ukrainian girl has died after being pushed under a freight train at a railway station in Friedland, Germany.

Source: German newspaper Stern; German public broadcaster Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR)

Details: Police said the tragedy occurred on 11 August at around 16:00 local time. A 31-year-old Iraqi national pushed Liana, 16, under a freight train that was travelling at about 100 km/h.

Shortly before the incident, police had received a call about antisocial behaviour at the station. When officers arrived, they encountered a man who led them to the girl’s body on the track. He claimed he had just found her. As no immediate suspicion arose, he was not detained.

DNA testing later revealed traces of the man on the victim’s right shoulder, indicating that she had been forcefully grabbed. The man was then arrested, remanded in custody and charged with involuntary manslaughter.

Subsequent tests showed a blood alcohol level of 1.35. The man was taken to a specialist psychiatric clinic. According to NDR, he had previously been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. 

Prosecutors said the suspect was not known to have had any prior connection to the victim. He has remained silent and made no comment on the charges. Investigators are determining whether he is criminally responsible.

Bild reported that at the time of the incident, Liana was speaking on the phone with her grandfather, who heard her screams. Her parents immediately questioned police claims that it had been an accident. The tragedy has shocked the local community.

Liana fled Mariupol in 2022 together with her parents and two younger brothers and found refuge in Germany. She had been studying to become a dental assistant. 

The local community organised a fundraiser for her funeral, collecting more than €24,000 so far.

The investigation also revealed that the Iraqi national had been living in Germany for several years. Despite being denied asylum and facing a deportation order, he had remained in the country.

Previously: Iryna Zarutska, a 23-year-old Ukrainian woman who had recently fled to the United States from the war in Ukraine, was killed in a knife attack at a train station in North Carolina.

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