Mother "found dead" five weeks after daughter

LONDON, Sep 19 (Reuters) The mother of a teenage girl found dead on a railway line five weeks ago has been killed by a train at the same spot, according to media reports today.

The body of Joanne Coombs, 40, was spotted by a train driver near Manningtree station in Essex yesterday night, Sky News said, citing police sources.

Her 17-year-old daughter Natasha was found dead there on August. 10, two weeks after she went missing after a night out with friends in Ipswich.

Her parents, from Essex, had described their only child's unexplained disappearance as a ''pain like you cannot imagine every day''.

''The house is so empty without her. It is unbearable,'' her mother told reporters during a televised appeal.

The teenager was due to go on a family holiday to Canada and had begun preparing for her 18th birthday, her parents said.

''She has already sent out the invitations. She was just so excited about that and looking forward to it,'' Joanne Coombs said.

A British Transport Police spokeswoman said the second body found at Manningtree had not yet been formally identified.

''It is believed that the woman was struck and killed by (a) train,'' police said in a statement. ''This incident is not being treated as suspicious.'' Police believe the 17-year-old also died after being hit by a train. An inquest is due to be held to confirm how she died.

REUTERS GL RK2108