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A medical student lay dead in a Tube tunnel for up to an hour after falling on to the tracks during a night out with friends, it was revealed today.

Sean Sathiyajit, 21, was discovered in the tunnel at Old Street after a Northern line driver alerted station staff just before 1.30am, the Standard understands.

The branch of the line is not part of the Night Tube and the passenger service would have ended almost an hour earlier.

The Imperial College student from Croydon was last seen by his friends heading down the station escalator on May 21.

The Standard understands they assumed he had caught a train by the time they arrived at the platform, and continued their own journeys home.

Transport for London refused to comment on the circumstances of his death, including claims that Mr Sathiyajit’s body was passed by up to three trains before being found.

A friend of Mr Sathiyajit, a former Sutton Grammar School pupil, described him as “very thoughtful” and “attentive to people”.

British Transport Police are not treating the death as suspicious. An inquest was opened at St Pancras coroner’s court and adjourned until September 18.

Nigel Holness, London Underground’s Director for Network Operations, said: “Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Mr Sathiyajit following his death at Old Street Tube station earlier this year.

"The British Transport Police is preparing a file for a Coroner’s Inquest and we are supporting this.

"TfL’s Sarah Hope Line, which is set up to help those affected by incidents on the transport network, is also available to offer support.”