NewYork:- According to media reports, a 24-year-old Indian-origin woman and her 24-year-old Nepali-American friend were killed after being struck by a train while sitting on the tracks at a subway station in Lower Manhattan.
The New York Police Department (NYPD) said Malaika Chitre, a resident of Dayton, New Jersey, and Navam Kaul, a resident of Sayreville, New Jersey, were on the tracks at the Spring Street subway station when they were struck by a southbound No. 4 train at around 3:15 a.m.
A video recorded by a passerby and later circulated widely on social media showed the two friends sitting casually on the tracks just seconds before being struck by the train. According to sources cited by the New York Post, the train operator told authorities that when the two were sitting on the tracks, Chitre appeared to be laughing and was pulling Kaul towards her.
Law enforcement sources said one of the two victims may have fallen onto the tracks or climbed down onto them, after which the other may have gone down to help.
The train operator reportedly told authorities that he saw Chitre and Kaul on the tracks and tried to apply the emergency brakes, but was unable to stop the train in time. Police, who arrived at the station after receiving a report that two people needed help, found the two victims on the tracks after the collision. Police said both were pronounced dead at the scene.
According to the New York Daily News, around 100 passengers were evacuated from the train following the incident.

Why Were the Two on the Tracks?
The circumstances surrounding why Chitre and Kaul were on the tracks are being investigated. Law enforcement sources told the New York Post that detectives are investigating whether the two had consumed drugs and failed to realise the danger until it was too late. Sources said no suicide note has been recovered, although investigators have not ruled out a possible suicide motive.

Both Were Former Students of Rutgers University
According to their LinkedIn profiles, Chitre worked as an Operations Specialist at Acadia Pharmaceuticals, while Kaul was a Financial Data Analyst at Bloomberg. Both were former students of Rutgers University and graduated at approximately the same time.