Rome, Jun 4 (IANS): A player of the Italian national handball team, Alessio Bisori, died Sunday and is thought to have committed suicide.

The 24-year-old was found dead under a train leaving from Bologna station in northern Italy, after lying on the railway track with "clear intention of suicide", the police said.

"We were called at about 00.50 in the night to intervene, but there was nothing to do for the young man," railway police officer Sandro Giuliano told Xinhua.

"Bisori had left slips of paper in the hotel where he was staying in Bologna, apologizing to his family for the decision. Thus the nature of his act was pretty clear," he added.

Some witnesses reportedly saw the young player lying on the railway as the train was about to leave.

"I cannot live anymore," the player was reported by local media to have written in the message addressed to his family.

Bisori was to reach Fasano, a town in southern Italy where the national team was to meet for a qualifying tournament for the 2014 European championship.

Bisori's death was mourned by the Italian handball community, which called for a minute of silence in all upcoming handball sporting events.

"The Italian handball has lost one of its youngest talents, and one strong point of the Italian national team," the Italian handball federation (FIGH) said in a statement.