- Young woman climbed on top of freight train at Hackney Wick station
- She then collided with power cable and was electrocuted
- Witnesses said she was lucky to be alive after they saw huge explosion
- Train bosses warn about the dangers of playing around on the tracks
This is the moment a woman jumped on top of a freight train and started running around - but was struck down seconds later after being electrocuted by an overhead cable carrying 25,000 volts.
Witnesses at a London Overground station saw a flash of light and heard an explosion as the woman fell to the ground in a shower of sparks.
She was immediately taken to hospital with burn injuries following the incident on Wednesday night, and remains in a serious condition.
Railway officials today warned travellers to stay away from the tracks, pointing out that even a 'harmless prank' can be extremely dangerous.
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Reckless: A young woman was pictured standing on top of a freight train moments before she was electrocuted by a power line and thrown into the ground
The woman, who appeared to be drunk, was seen climbing onto a train at Hackney Wick station in east London around 11pm on Wednesday.
She apparently spent several minutes running around on top of the carriages, laughing to her friends who were watching below.
But then she collided with an overhead power line and was thrown 20ft onto the platform - making bystanders fear that she might be dead.
She was taken to hospital, where she is in a serious but stable condition two days later.
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Horror: The incident took place on Wednesday evening at Hackney Wick station in east London (file photo)
A witness told the Evening Standard: 'We saw her climb up from a ladder on one of the ladders at the side of one of the carriages and we just thought, "This girl is an idiot."
'She looked wasted and was clambering about up there, and then it was like a bright flash of light and then sparks and part of her clothes were on fire. Then she just froze for a couple of seconds and went super stiff and fell down onto the platform.
'We ran over to the other side of the platform where she was and couldn't believe that she was conscious and breathing - it was a shock, we thought she'd be dead.'
A spokesman for British Transport Police said: 'Officers were called to Hackney Wick rail station on Wednesday, 29 January after a report that a woman had been injured.
'It is believed that the woman fell from the roof of a train and then came into contact with electricity from the overhead power lines.
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Concern: Officials said the incident at the station showed the dangers of playing on the tracks (file photo)
'Medics from the London Ambulance Service also attended and the woman was taken to Royal London Hospital with burns injuries. Officers are now working to establish how she came to be on the train.
'She currently remains in hospital in a serious but stable condition.'
The spokesman added: 'The railway can potentially be a dangerous environment, with high speed trains and electric currents.
'Passengers should always take care at train stations and should never go on to the tracks or near the overhead power lines.'
A Network Rail spokesman told the Standard: 'The railway is a dangerous place, with trains travelling at high speeds and power lines carrying more than 25,000 volts of electricity.
'What might have seemed a harmless prank very nearly ended in tragedy.'
