Woman livestreams her suicide at a train station on Periscope

More than 1,000 people watched the live broadcast

Egly station where the teenager jumped in front of a train (Google maps )

French officials have launched an investigation into the death of a young woman who jumped in front of a commuter train in Paris while recording herself on the live video streaming app, Periscope.

The woman, whose name has not been released, was born in 1997. She talked about her mental health during the video, before committing suicide at Egly station, 25 miles (40 km) south of Paris.

“An investigation into the cause of the death has been opened and entrusted to the Palaiseau investigative unit,” Eric Lallement, the local prosecutor said.

The woman is reported to have sent a text message to one of her close friends, referring to her intentions, according to Mr Lallement.

“Furthermore, she allegedly made statements to internet users, via the Periscope application, to explain her act,” he added. It was broadcasted to more than 1,000 users.

Investigators are examining the woman’s phone and exactly what she shared on the streaming app.

Periscope, which is owned Twitter, has deleted the video, but clips of it have been shared on YouTube, where the suicide has been blacked out.

In the video, the woman is sitting in a room on a sofa. She says: “The video I am doing right now is not made to create a buzz, but rather to make people react, to open the minds, and that’s it,” reported the New York Times.

French officials did not immediately confirm the woman in the video was the one who jumped in front of the train.

During the video, it goes black and an emergency worker can be heard saying: “I am under the train with the victim; I need to move the victim.” Seconds later the train is visible.

The girl’s death is the latest in what appears to be a stream of similar violent incidents which have been broadcast live on apps.

In April, two men abused a young man in a nightclub in France and filmed it on Periscope, while in Ohio an 18-year-old woman filmed her friend being raped on the streaming app.

Periscope’s guidelines state users should not post explicitly graphic content or media that is intended to incite violent, illegal or dangerous activities, but does not have the facility to submit a form if someone believes another user is at risk of hurting themselves.

The Samaritans provides a free support service for those who need to talk to someone. It can be contacted through Samaritans.org or on 08457 90 90 90, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year