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2 Student 'Roof-Riders' Die in Metro

An attempt to ride on the roof of a Moscow metro car ended in death for two college students late Sunday, news agencies reported.

One was "swept off" the top of a metro car between the Kuntsevskaya and Pionerskaya stations on the Light Blue Line, snapping his spine, a law enforcement source told Interfax. The other smashed his head on the tunnel's roof, with the body only discovered on top of the car when the train arrived at Kievskaya, several stations later.

The victims' names were withheld, but the source said both were 19.

The students, who sported gloves and ski masks, had apparently planned the ride and are alleged to have indulged in the risky activity known as "roof-riding" numerous times before, another source told RIA-Novosti.

Roof-riding, as well as the related practice of rollerblading while holding on to the back of the last car of a train, boast a large number of followers, with one related social media community having more than 2,000 members, RIA-Novosti said.

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