No passengers were injured in the accident, which occurred at 2.17 am.
The elephants were hit in Assam’s Hojai district. PIC/PTI
Seven elephants were killed, and one was injured after a herd of jumbos was hit by the Sairang-New Delhi Rajdhani Express in Assam’s Hojai district early Saturday, officials said. Five coaches and the train’s engine also derailed, officials said. Initially, all eight elephants were reported to have been killed, though later it was said that one of the calves was found injured. No passengers were injured in the accident, which occurred at 2.17 am.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma of the BJP has asked the Forest department to conduct a detailed enquiry and secure wildlife corridors, while state Congress president Gaurav Gogoi blamed “unplanned and poorly regulated development under the present government” for the accident. Top Forest Department officers have reached the site and will take up the matter with Railway officials to prevent such incidents. Several trains have been cancelled or short-terminated following the mishap.
Nagaon Divisional Forest Officer Suhas Kadam said that the accident in Changjurai village is suspected to have occurred due to heavy fog in the area. “Autopsy of the dead jumbos is underway, and treatment is on for the injured one by local veterinary doctors. Cremation will be done near the accident site. Legal formalities are being followed,” he said.
NFR chief spokesperson Kapinjal Kishore Sharma claimed that the accident took place at a location which is not a designated elephant corridor. “The train driver, on observing the herd of elephants, applied emergency brakes. However, the jumbos dashed with the train,” he added.
Trains scheduled to pass through the affected section have been diverted through the UP line, and restoration work is underway, Sharma added. He further said that nine trains have been cancelled, 13 regulated, and two short-terminated following the accident.
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