Student's rail close brush with death

A Chinese student had a lucky escape - when she was hit by an express train while posing for pictures beside the railway tracks.

Xiao Li, 20, had asked pal Xiao Qing to take some snaps of her with her hair flying back as the train raced past her at 90mph by tracks in Shaodong, Hunan province.

But she stumbled into the path of the train and was sent flying as it clipped her on the left shoulder.

"I felt this sudden bump and I was flying sideways. The train stopped and the driver thought he must have killed me," said Li.

"I didn't realise I was so close. My shoulder was badly bruised but I'm lucky to be alive.

"Maybe next time we'll do some pictures indoors," she added.

A police spokesman said: "It's strictly illegal to interfere with the railway lines but she seems to have punished herself quite a bit already."