Two families say train victim's jewellery was 'mum's'

A gold watch and necklace shown in the newspaper from a unidentified woman killed by a train last Tuesday, has prompted two different families to contact police saying the pieces belonged to their missing mother.

Police have been unable to identify the victim, described as a Maori or Polynesian aged in her 40s or 50s, who was hit by a train at the Puhinui railway station near Manukau City on Tuesday.

Acting Senior Sergeant Wayne Lambie said police were following up the two lines of inquiry and he expected one of them to be the victim's family.

"We had two families come in yesterday and say we haven't had contact with our mother for quite a while," Mr Lambie said.

"The trouble is there was a picture of her jewellery in the paper and that's what's prompted both people to come forward, so they are both saying 'Yeah, that's our mum's'."

Mr Lambie said police were visiting their houses today and would try to match fingerprints found at the house with the body.

He said a formal identification was too difficult because of the body's condition.

Meanwhile, police have yet to release the name of the man killed by a train in Takanini, Manukau City, yesterday afternoon.

Mr Lambie, who attended the scene said the man, believed to be aged in his 50s, died when he crossed the railway line to dump garden refuse.

"He was carrying rubbish and putting it on the far side of the two railway tracks and he walked out with a large bundle on his right shoulder and the train approached from his right," he said.

Mr Lambie said the house the man was living in backed on to the railway lines.

"It's just bizarre -- not being able to hear [the train]. I don't know if he had a hearing problem."

The man is understood to have relations in Australia, but none in New Zealand.

Mr Lambie said he believed the man was a sickness beneficiary, who had lived in New Zealand for more than 20 years.

- NZPA