At least five elephants were killed and two others were injured when a speeding train hit a herd of the pachyderms who were trying to cross railway tracks in Assam’s Hojai district on late Saturday night.
NF Railway Chief Public Relations Officer Pranav Jyoti Sharma confirmed this on Sunday and said that the engine of the Guwahati-Silchar Fast Express also got derailed after hitting the herd. He said that a departmental enquiry has already been ordered to find out details about adherence to protocols.
“Around 9.40 pm on Saturday, the engine of the Guwahati-Silchar Fast passenger train dashed against a herd of elephant between Hawaipur and lamshakhan stations under lumding Division of NF Railway. Five elephants have reportedly died as a result of the dashing.
The engine got derailed by its front trolly as a result of which the train with all passengers got detained at the location,” said the CPRO.
Although the locals alleged that the incident took place in an identified elephant corridor, a senior Railway official said that the incident took place at a location where there was no notified elephant corridor.
locals also alleged that the train was on high speed and that the locals have also informed the nearest railway station about movement of elephants along the railway tracks. “However, there was no action taken by the Railway officials and it led to the incident killing five elephants,” said the locals.
“The incident took place at a location where there was no notified elephant corridor. However based on inputs received from forest department a speed restriction of 30 kmph had been imposed and all trains were instructed to slow down while passing by issuing caution order to the loco pilots. While prima facie inquiry has revealed that the train was within its stipulated speed, a departmental enquiry has been ordered to find out details about adherence to protocols,” the NFR CPRO said.
He said that the divisional Railway Manager along with senior officials of lumding Division reached the site along with Accident Relief Train (ART) from lumding after which efforts were started for re-railing the locomotive. The train movement on the section was finally restored at 2 am today, he said.
It may be mentioned here that there has been a manifold increase in the incidents of elephant crossings during the recent past and trains are constantly slowed down whenever any information of herd movement is shared with the railway by the forest department.
The Railway officials also claimed that it is only because of the close coordination between field level officials of both the forest and railway department that as many as 200 imminent dashing have been prevented this year alone.
On December 10 last year six elephants were killed by a speeding train at Sonitpur district of Assam.