A five-year-old girl has survived after her father “jumped” in front of a train in New York while holding her in his arms.
The child escaped with minor injuries but the 45-year-old parent was killed after he was hit by the train at Kingsbridge Road station, The Bronx, shortly before 8am on Monday.
Shocked passengers rushed to help the young girl, who is thought to have survived by lying flat in between the tracks.
One of the two bystanders who helped pull the child to safety said she was calling out for her father who has been identified as Fernando Balbuena-Flores.
Antonio Love told NBC New York: “'Papa, Papa, Papa,' that’s it. She didn’t say anything else.”
The girl was reportedly taken to hospital to be treated for minor injuries.
Her mother, Niurka Caraballo, said her child was “in perfect condition, thank god … to the angels who protected her,” NBC NY reports.
Video footage of the incident shows two men pulling the girl to safety from underneath the train and lifting her up on to the platform.
Bystanders can be seen surrounding the child, who is still wearing her pink backpack.
Witnesses claim Mr Balbuena-Flores appeared to be calm as he spoke on the phone before the incident.
Pamela Ivy told ABC 13: “I heard him telling the wife ‘You look out for the other two kids, I’m gonna take her to school’ and then he said ‘I love you’.”
Shams Tarek, spokesman for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, said in a statement: “This is a tragedy and our thoughts are with the family members as well as with our train operator – this is a traumatic event for everyone involved,” NBC NY reports.
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