A tragic incident in northeast India seven wild elephants were killed and a calf injured when a high speed train collided with a herd in Assam’s Hojai district early Saturday. The Delhi bound Rajdhani Express struck the elephants as they crossed the tracks outside a designated elephant corridor.
Railway officials say the train driver spotted the herd and applied emergency brakes but some animals were still hit. The collision caused the locomotive and five coaches to derail though no passengers or staff were hurt. Train services in the area were temporarily disrupted with several trains diverted while restoration work took place.
Veterinarians conducted post mortems on the deceased elephants which were later buried. Assam is home to nearly 6,000 elephants one of the largest populations in India. Officials note that while speed restrictions exist in designated elephant corridors this tragic accident occurred outside those zones highlighting ongoing challenges in managing human wildlife conflict near railway lines.
Conservationists and railway authorities continue to explore measures to prevent such collisions in the future aiming to protect both wildlife and train passengers as rail infrastructure intersects natural habitats in the region.
