A boy has been taken to hospital after becoming trapped under a train in Melbourne this afternoon.
Firefighters and paramedics were called to North Melbourne Railway Station about 4pm.
The ABC has been told a boy, believed to be 11 or 12, had been on platform 6 when he was hit and trapped under a carriage for some time.
A Fire Rescue Victoria spokesperson said the child appeared to have been caught by his leg, suffering serious injuries.
He said firefighters used hydraulic jacks to lift the train off the tracks to free the boy, with the rescue taking up to an hour.
Aerial vision showed workers crouched between two carriages while others assisted from the platform where a stretcher could be seen nearby.
A number of train services were cancelled while the rescue took place. (ABC News: Alexandra Alvaro)
The boy was rushed to the Royal Children’s Hospital, which is not far from the station.
Paramedic Alex Hemsley described the scene as upsetting for emergency responders.
“We transported the young person quickly under emergency conditions — lights and sirens conditions — with a pre-notification to the Royal Children’s Hospital with regards to their injuries,” she said.
“Although we are all trained it do this job, it was a very traumatic scene for all involved.”
There was a large scale emergency response including police and firefighters.
She said support would be offered to all who were on scene.
Ms Hemsley said at one stage, there were up to eight paramedics helping the boy, including advanced life support and mobile intensive care teams, as well as the firefighters working on releasing him.
“They did everything as quickly as they could have done, provided the highest level care to this young person on potentially on one of the most traumatic days of their lives.”
Paramedic Alex Hemsley has described the incident as traumatic. (ABC News)
The incident happened as Melbourne’s rail network geared up for the afternoon peak.
A number of services on the Williamstown and Werribee lines were cancelled while the rescue operation took place.