Elephant killed after being hit by goods train in Odisha

The accident took place when a herd of around 40 jumbos was crossing railway tracks in Chinta Pokhari area, around three kilometers away, from the Meramundali railway station

An elephant was killed after being hit by a goods train in Odisha’s Dhenkanal district on Saturday, police said.

The accident took place when a herd of around 40 jumbos was crossing railway tracks in Chinta Pokhari area, around three kilometers away, from the Meramundali railway station, a senior officer said.

The Elephant was hit by a goods train around 2 am, a forest official said.

Train services were disrupted till the elephant carcass was removed from the tracks, he said.

Also read:Bandhavgarh elephant deaths: Wildlife officials await autopsy reports of 10 elephants; activist demands CBI probe

Alert issued by forest department to railway on elephant movements

The forest department maintained that it had issued an alert to the railway authorities on the movement of elephants from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm.

The train driver, however, ignored the warning, the forest official said.

Also read: 186 elephants killed on railway tracks in over 10 years: MoEFCC

The cause of the accident is being investigated by the railway authorities, and the elephant carcass was sent for post-mortem examinations, the official said.

The forest department has also started a probe into the accident.

Published - November 02, 2024 04:57 pm IST