LONDON — Three people died after they were hit by a train in south London on Monday, with police investigating why they were on the tracks of a busy line during the early morning rush hour.

British Transport Police said they were called to Loughborough Junction, a station on a busy train line near Brixton, at 0630 GMT, following a report that multiple bodies had been found.

The three people were pronounced dead at the scene, with police treating the deaths as “unexplained”.

Aerial footage showed the bodies, covered by white sheets, lying on an elevated part of the track that would not normally be accessible to the public.

Gary Richardson, from British Transport Police (BTP), said his “thoughts are with the family and friends of these three people”.

“My team are now working hard to understand what happened and how these three people came to lose their life on the railway,” he added.

“At this time, we are treating their death as unexplained as we make a number of immediate enquiries.”

Fatalities are relatively rare on Britain’s rail network. Seven people died when a car pulled onto a rail crossing in 2004 in Berkshire, southern England, and seven died when a tram crashed in Croydon, south London in 2016.

Transport police said rail services would be delayed in the area while they investigated the scene.

Gary Richardson, from British Transport Police (BTP), said his “thoughts are with the family and friends of these three people”.

“My team are now working hard to understand what happened and how these three people came to lose their life on the railway,” he added.

He asked anyone who was near the station on Monday morning or “saw something which they think might be relevant” to contact police.

Rail regulator the Office of Rail and Road has opened a preliminary investigation.

The station remains open, but BTP warned that train services will be delayed while inquiries are carried out.

Network Rail said it was “assisting the British Transport Police as they investigate an incident at Loughborough Junction this morning”. — Agencies