Family struggling to cope with Slough train deaths

THE FAMILY of a mother and child who were killed by a train in a suspected murder-suicide in Berkshire have said they are “struggling to come to terms” with their deaths.

Forensic officers work on the tracks at Slough train station after a woman and a child died after being struck by a train at the station. Picture: PA

British Transport Police (BTP) say they “strongly believe” Rubina Khan, 46, and her 10-year-old son Amaar were the two people who died at Slough station on Tuesday morning.

The pair have not yet been formally identified, but their family paid tribute to them on Wednesday and said their deaths had left a “huge hole in our lives”.

In a statement, they said: “Rubina was a loving mother, wife, daughter and sister who will be sorely missed by all who knew her.

“Amaar was a cute, gorgeous little boy, with a lovely cheeky side, and we will all miss him so much.

“Their loss has left a huge hole in our lives and we are all struggling to come terms with what has happened.

“We have, however, been comforted and humbled by the support of the community. More than 1,000 people have been to see us to pay their respects, which really is testament to Rubina’s character as she was loved by one and all.

“This is an indescribably difficult time for the family and we now ask to be given the space and time we need to grieve.”

A BTP spokesman said officers were “keeping an open mind” about the incident.

He said on Wednesday: “Although we have yet to formally identify the deceased following yesterday’s incident at Slough railway station, we can confirm we strongly believe them to be Rubina Khan, 46, and her son, Amaar Khan, 10.

“Specialist officers are currently providing support to the family, and we ask that they be left to grieve and come to terms with what has happened.”

Chief Inspector Jenny Gilmer said the possibility of a murder-suicide was “one of the lines of inquiry that our officers will be pursuing but we must not speculate”.

The mother and son, who were local to Slough, were pronounced dead at the scene after they were struck shortly before 9.45am on Tuesday.

Ms Gilmer said: “The incident is still bring treated as suspicious although officers do not believe there was any third party involvement at the station.”

The station was closed for nearly six hours while police gathered evidence from the scene.

The driver of the 08.41 commuter train from Bedwyn to London Paddington was “incredibly shaken up” following the incident, Ms Gilmer said.

One passenger tweeted that the driver used the public address system to apologise to those on board.

Ms Gilmer said: “The driver is incredibly shaken up by the incident and is being supported by ourselves and train operator First Great Western. He’s going to have been traumatised by it.

“Witnesses were also very shaken up by what they saw and it was a traumatic incident for the officers who attended the scene.”

Officers combed the railway tracks for evidence and studied the station’s CCTV of the incident. A large number of witnesses both on the train and on the platform were also interviewed.