At least seven elephants were killed, and one was injured when a herd was struck by the Sairang-New Delhi Rajdhani Express in AssamHojai district early Saturday, officials reported. Five coaches and the train’s engine also derailed. Initially, all eight elephants were thought to be dead, but later reports confirmed one was found injured. No passengers were hurt in the accident, which happened at 2:17 a.m., according to officials.
Rajdhani Express in Assam Kills 7 Elephants
Nagaon divisional forest officer Suhash Kadam told PTI that the accident in Changjurai village likely occurred due to heavy fog in the area. “An autopsy of the seven dead elephants is underway, and local veterinary doctors are treating the injured one. Cremation will take place near the accident site. Legal formalities are being followed,” he said.
NFR chief spokesperson Kapinjal Kishore Sharma said the accident occurred in the Jamunamukh-Kampur section under the Lumding division. This area is about 126 km from Guwahati. He noted that the accident happened in a location that is not a designated elephant corridor. “The train driver applied the emergency brakes upon seeing the herd of elephants. However, the elephants collided with the train,” he added.
9 trains cancelled after incident
Train movement was disrupted. Mr. Sharma mentioned that nine trains have been canceled, 13 regulated, and two short-terminated following the accident. “Due to the derailment of train no. 20507 DN Sairang-New Delhi Rajdhani Express in the Jamunamukh-Kampur section under Lumding division, train operations on the down line in the Lumding-Guwahati section have been affected,” Sharma said.
He also noted that the NFR general manager and senior railway officials are on-site, and restoration work is ongoing. Among the canceled trains are the Rangiya-New Tinsukia Express, Guwahati-Jorhat Town Jan Shatabdi Express, Guwahati-Badarpur Vistadome Express, and New Tinsukia-Rangiya Express.
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