Seven wild Asiatic elephants were killed and a calf injured when the Rajdhani Express struck a herd of about 100 elephants in Assam, India. Five coaches and the locomotive derailed but there were no human fatalities; around 200 passengers from the derailed coaches were moved to Guwahati. The collision happened roughly 125 km southeast of Guwahati at a location Indian Railways says is not a designated elephant corridor. Assam, home to about 7,000 wild elephants, has recorded multiple train-related elephant deaths since 2020.
Rajdhani Express Collides With Herd in Assam, Killing Seven Asiatic Elephants
Seven wild Asiatic elephants were killed and a calf was injured early Saturday when a high-speed Rajdhani Express struck a herd crossing railway tracks in Assam, northeastern India, local officials said.
The train driver reported seeing a group of roughly 100 elephants and applied the emergency brakes, but some animals were still hit, Indian Railways spokesman Kapinjal Kishore Sharma told The Associated Press. The collision caused five passenger coaches and the locomotive to derail, though authorities reported no human fatalities.
We delinked the coaches which were not derailed, and the train resumed its journey for New Delhi. Around 200 passengers who were in the five derailed coaches have been moved to Guwahati in a different train. — Kapinjal Kishore Sharma, Indian Railways
Approximately 650 passengers were onboard the Rajdhani Express, which was traveling from Sairang in Mizoram to New Delhi when the accident occurred. Officials said around 200 passengers from the derailed coaches were transferred to Guwahati on a separate train after the incident.
The collision took place in a forested area about 125 kilometers (78 miles) southeast of Guwahati, Assam's largest city. Indian Railways said the spot was not a designated elephant corridor, though rail lines in the state are frequently crossed by wild elephants.
Response and Aftermath
Veterinarians performed post-mortem examinations on the dead elephants; authorities planned to bury the carcasses later in the day. Railway officials detached undamaged coaches and resumed the train's journey to New Delhi after clearing the track and assessing damage.
Context
Assam is home to an estimated 7,000 wild Asiatic elephants, one of the largest concentrations in India. Collisions between trains and elephants are a recurring problem in the state: since 2020, at least a dozen elephants have been killed in train-related incidents. Experts say incidents increase during the harvest season when elephants move closer to agricultural fields and human settlements in search of food.
Authorities and conservationists continue to seek measures to reduce such collisions, including better early-warning systems, speed restrictions in high-risk areas, and clearer mapping of elephant movement corridors.
