Three men in 20s killed by train in London as spray cans are found near their bodies

Scenes at Loughborough Junction where earlier this morning three people died after being hit by a train on the tracks yesterday. Photo / Getty

Three suspected graffiti artists in their 20s have died after being struck by a train in south London station as it was revealed spray cans were found near their bodies.

Police are describing the deaths close to Loughborough Junction station as "unexplained". All three were pronounced dead at the scene.

Officers are now trying to determine how the three men came to be on the tracks having been called just before 7.30am yetserday. Police were seen taking photographs of graffiti as part of their enquiries.

The British Transport Police (BTP) confirmed the discovery of the spray cans, and officers said the possibility that the three men were graffiti artists was a line of enquiry.

The bodies were found on an elevated section of track with an electric third rail between Brixton and Denmark Hill and aerial footage showed two covered bodies on stretchers with a third being tended to by officers in forensic suits.

Police were at the scene where three bodies were found on the tracks near Loughborough Junction in London. Photo / Getty

Trains could be seen slowly passing through the area earlier Monday morning, inches from the bodies and members of the emergency services.

Video, filmed from a helicopter, showed the bodies were on a line which does not serve Loughborough Junction and several dozen yards from any railway station.

Sources said that the incident could have happened overnight, when freight trains run, as the bodies were not spotted until around 7am.

A BTP spokesman confirmed the bodies "had been dead for a while" before they were seen by a train driver.

Freight trains carry out a lot of the infrastructure work on Britain's railways, usually overnight when the passenger pathways are clear.

BTP Superintendent Matt Allingham said: "It is believed they died earlier in the morning and their injuries are consistent with having being hit by a train.

"The men are yet to be formally identified but we believe they were all in their 20s.

"Officers have delivered the sad news to one family that we believe one of the men was their son. We are still working to identify and locate the next of kin for the other two men.

"Our investigation is focusing on how and why the men came to be on the tracks in the early hours of this morning."

He added that his officers were trying to establish how the three men got onto the tracks, and added: "There's not a safe refuge up there, so if they were up there, there is nowhere for them to go.

"If they are caught up there in that section of track with a train coming through, they really wouldn't have much option."

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan sent his condolences to the relatives of those found on the tracks.

He said: "My heart goes out to the families of the three people killed at Loughborough Junction station this morning.

"City Hall is in close contact with the British Transport Police who are urgently investigating this incident."

Workers at garages and other businesses based under under the arches of the railway believe it could have happened in the "dead of night".

They said nobody had heard anything until helicopters arrived overhead.

Some workers had started the working week at 6am, going about their business oblivious to the fact there were three bodies directly above them.

As the news filtered through, shopworkers and business owners in the area were seen huddling together in shock to discuss how it could have happened.

They said they had never heard of anything like it before. One local told the Telegraph: "There's lots of graffiti up there."

Detective Superintendent Gary Richardson from British Transport Police, said: "My team are now working hard to understand what happened and how these three people came to lose their life on the railway.

"My thoughts are with the family and friends of these three people.

"At this time, we are treating their death as unexplained as we make a number of immediate enquiries. I would ask anyone who was near to Loughborough Junction this morning, and saw something which they think might be relevant, please contact us as soon as possible."

Disruption is expected on the line while police investigate.