Man dies after attempting to 'surf' on roof of Paris Metro train

The fatal accident took place on Tuesday evening around 7pm as the line 6 train was leaving Bir-Hakeim Metro station near the Eiffel Tower.

The nationality of the 21-year-old is not yet known. But the incident comes ten months after a British thrill seeker died after police said he attempted to climb onto the roof of a Metro train in Paris. His friends however denied he was train surfing.

In Tuesday night’s incident witnesses said the man hit the roof of the Metro station as the train departed. He is believed to have died instantly due to the impact. His body then fell on to the tracks on the Bir-Hakeim bridge.

A British tourist who was at the station and witnessed the horrific incident told L'Express newspaper she had seen the young man climb on the Metro before lying down.

"When the train started to leave the platform, he sat and turned his back on a low bridge that was approaching," sh said. He smiled at everyone on the platform We then heard people screaming and he hit the bridge and was thrown from the train. There was a terrible thud as he hit the metal surface. It was terrifying. "

Images posted on Twitter showed what appeared to be police forensic teams studying the tracks on the Bir-Hakeim bridge that crosses the River Seine.

Services on Line 6 were interrupted for a long period on Tuesday evening.

Police say they are trying to determine the causes of the accident, but believe the victim may have been train surfing – the dangerous and illegal practice when individuals ride across the roof of a Metro train between stations.

According to Le Parisien newspaper CCTV images showed the man arriving at the Metro station with two friends. Police are still tryng to track them down.

The bridge on line 6 over the River Seine at Bir-Hakeim appears to be a popular spot for train surfers, perhaps due to the fact it is open and offers spectacular views of the Eiffel Tower, which can then be posted on social media.

In December a group of British “free runners” angered authorities in Paris after they filmed themselves riding on the roof of a Paris Metro carriage across the Seine river in Paris.

(Photo: Rikke Brewer)

A person going by the name of Rikke Brewer, who describes himself as "a new and upcoming urban crazy explorer", shared footage of himself and others "surfing" the Paris Metro last week. 

The young men scaled a fence before leaping onto the rooftop of the carriage at the Passy station on Line 6 of the Metro, just across the river from Bir-Hakeim.

Their exploits were captured on camera and posted online.

Paris transport network chiefs RATP condemned the stunt and said it would take legal action against those behind it.

“Such behaviour is extremely dangerous, irresponsible and reprehensible,” it said in a statement. “That is why the RATP has decided to contact judicial authorities.”

In 2013 a young man was killed while trying to pull off a similar stunt. The man was struck in the head when the train entered a tunnel near Montparnasse station.