Silchar: An adult wild elephant died after being hit by a speeding train in Assam’s Morigaon district, forest officials said on Wednesday.
Officials said the incident took place at Jagiroad area on the outskirts of Guwahati city at around 5am. According to the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR), it was not an elephant corridor, so there were no speed restrictions.
“As per our reports, the incident happened at 4:52 am, and it was early hours, so the loco-pilot could not see the elephant properly. However, the loco-pilot tried to reduce the speed at the last moment,” an NFR official said.
According to the eyewitnesses, the tusker sustained grievous injuries after being hit by the train and it tried to walk but fell near the tracks and breathed its last in a few minutes.
A team of forest officials rushed to the spot after the incident and the doctors confirmed the death. “The wild elephant died due to internal injuries, especially in the head,” officials said.
According to officials, it is suspected that the wild elephant got lost from the herd and came out of the forest in search of food. The carcass was removed from the tracks with joint efforts by the forest department and NFR employees and was buried near the forest area on Wednesday evening.
