A high speed train kills elephants in Assam after hitting a group of wild animals crossing the tracks, leaving seven dead, as reported by Sky News.

This is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

High speed train kills elephants in Assam incident
A group of elephants were killed after colliding with a high speed passenger train in the Indian state of Assam (Picture: Reuters)

Rajdhani Express derailment after emergency brakes

The crash happened in India’s north-eastern state of Assam at about 2.17am local time. After the driver spotted a herd estimated at around 100 elephants, the emergency brakes were applied. No human casualties were reported, but the hard braking derailed the engine and five carriages in a Rajdhani Express derailment.

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The Rajdhani Express was carrying 650 passengers and was travelling from Sairang in Mizoram to the capital, New Delhi. The service is part of Indian Railways’ premium services to and from the capital and is regularly given priority on the network.

Assam elephant crossing near Guwahati

Elephant crossings are a frequent occurrence on India’s railways, and Railway Supply notes similar risks around elephant-corridor areas. However, the operator said the forested area roughly 78 miles south-east of Guwahati was not a known corridor.

Even so, Assam has a high concentration of wild Asiatic elephants, with an estimated 7,000 in the state. A dozen elephants have been killed by passenger trains in the area since 2020, and elephants often stray into human territory at this time of the year as rice fields are harvested.

Indian Railways statement on passenger transfers and diversions

In an Indian Railways statement, the operator said the coaches that were not derailed were delinked and the train resumed its journey for New Delhi. It added that around 200 passengers from the five derailed coaches were moved to Guwahati on a different train, according to The New Indian Express.

The railway also said trains scheduled to pass through that section are being diverted through another line while restoration works continue.

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