The Dangers of Train Surfing: Railway Tragedies

In 2025, six children lost their lives in Ukraine due to the perilous activity known as train surfing, with another eight sustaining injuries.

This information was shared by Vitaliy Romanov, deputy head of juvenile police in Ukraine, during a broadcast on "Suspilne".

Train surfing refers to the risky pastime where teenagers climb onto train cars to create videos or take photos. Another variation of this activity involves hanging onto the outside of moving trains.

"The consequences of train surfing can be critical, often leading to fatalities. Thus, we continually emphasize the need for preventive measures against such incidents," noted Vitaliy Romanov.

He recounted two accidents that occurred in Volyn on the same day, April 20. One involved a 16-year-old boy who climbed onto a train car.

A few hours later, a 13-year-old boy attempted to film a video on the roof of a train and climbed up using a ladder. He suffered an electric shock.

"In this case, the child sustained 80% burns to his body, his condition is extremely serious, and doctors are fighting for his life," added Vitaliy Romanov.

He also mentioned that train surfing is a phenomenon not only prevalent in Ukraine but also in other countries. Often, it is children from well-off families who get injured, as they have not previously come to the attention of law enforcement.

As a reminder, on March 12 in Kyiv, a 12-year-old boy climbed onto a train car and suffered severe burns from electric shock. Doctors fought for his life for five days, but the teenager passed away.