Two first-year nursing students were killed after they were allegedly run over by a Vande Bharat Express train on the outskirts of Bengaluru, police said on Monday.

The deceased students, Sterlin Eliza Shaji (19) and Justin Joseph (20), both natives of Kerala, were pursuing BSc Nursing at a private institute in the city, they said.

According to police, the incident occurred at around 2.35 pm on Sunday when the two were allegedly crossing the tracks near the Chikkabanavara railway station, on their way to their paying guest accommodation nearby.

Hit by the Belagavi bound Vande Bharat train from Bengaluru, both died on the spot. Their bodies were found in a severely dismembered state on the tracks, police said.

A senior railway police officer said CCTV footage is being examined to determine whether the deaths were accidental or a case of suicide.

An Unnatural Death Report has been registered at the Bengaluru Rural Railway Police Station, and further investigation is underway, the officer added.

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