At least six elephants were killed in Sri Lanka after an express train got derailed after ramming into a herd near a wildlife reserve in the early hours of Thursday.
The Batticaloa-Colombo express train was running near a wildlife reserve at Habana, around 180km east of Sri Lanka capital Colombo, when it crashed into the elephants who were crossing the tracks.
Police officials said six elephants succumbed to their serious injuries and at least two other elephants were being treated for their wounds after surviving the crash.
Photos of the collision showed the front of the train off the track and halted while one elephant stood guard over a younger elephant lying injured beside the tracks.
The derailment did not have a serious impact on the passenger train. “The train derailed, but there were no casualties among the passengers,” police officials said.
The work to restore the train on the tracks is underway, according to officials at the railway operation and control centre.
Killing or harming elephants is termed as a criminal offence in Sri Lanka. The island nation has an estimated population of 7,000 wild elephants and considers the wild tuskers as a national treasure, owing to their significance in Buddhist culture.
This is not the first major train accident involving elephants.
In October last year, a train carrying thousands of gallons of fuel was left derailed after it hit a herd of wild elephants – killing two of the giants.
The crash happened in northeast Sri Lanka, leaving two elephants dead and injuring one, authorities said.
The collision happened in the town of Minneriya – about 200km (124 miles) from the capital, Colombo – renowned for its nature park and wildlife.
Though elephants are revered in the Indian Ocean island nation, they are endangered with their numbers dwindling from about 14,000 in the 19th century to 6,000 in 2011, according to the country’s first elephant census.
Elephant-train collisions have gone up in recent years in Sri Lanka, with wild elephants attempting to cross over railway tracks in search of food and water. They are increasingly vulnerable because of the loss and degradation of their natural habitat and many venture closer to human settlements in search of food. Some are killed by poachers or farmers angry over damage to their crops.
