Four boys, including two minors, were mowed down by a speeding express train in North Dinajpur district late on Sunday evening when they were huddled on tracks and glued to games on a cellphone.

The deceased were Rahul Singha, 16, Rahul Singha, 17, Sourav Singha, 18, and Prashanta Singha, 19, of Dhumdangi-Kanagach of Haptiagach panchayat under Chopra block. The two boys with identical names as well as Sourav and Prashanta were hit by the Deoghar-bound express train from Agartala, police said.

The four friends, sitting on railway tracks, were so engrossed in playing games on Sourav’s new phone that they did not notice the speeding long-distance train. They were instantly killed.

“One of them (Sourav) had recently bought a cell phone. His friends assembled to check out the phone and all four walked up to the rail tracks. They sat on tracks to enjoy a game on the cell phone and got so engrossed that they did not notice the train. All four died instantly,” said a police officer.

Their bodies have been recovered from the site. The district police as well as the Northeast Frontier Railway are conducting inquiries.

As the news spread, police and residents rushed to the spot. The mutilated bodies and remnants of clothes, slippers and the cell phone and earphones were also recovered.

Rabilal Singha, the father of the 16-year-old Rahul, said the teen was home till called by his friend to check out the cell phone. Abina Tudu, the pradhan of Haptiagach panchayat, said they had alerted people, especially youngsters, to stay away from tracks.

“There is no point in taking such risks. We are with the bereaved families,” said Tudu.