A railway strike left Sri Lankan students on the way to annual exams hanging from the exterior of overcrowded trains as they raced to make the most important date of the academic year on Wednesday. /Chinanews Photo

More than 400,000 students aged around 15 were expected to take the exams, which began on Tuesday. /Chinanews Photo

President Maithripala Sirisena had called on drivers, station masters and technical staff to call off their strike, but they refused. /Chinanews Photo

Railway workers in Sri Lanka have been striking to demand higher salaries since October. Passengers have often had to cling to the side of trains as so few are running. /AFP Photo