At least seven elephants were killed and one calf injured after a herd collided with the Sairang-New Delhi Rajdhani Express in Assam's Hojai on Saturday morning, leading to disruption of rail services.
The Sairang-New Delhi Rajdhani Express struck a herd of elephants, resulting in the derailment of the locomotive and five coaches. No passenger casualties or injuries were reported, officials said.
The New Delhi-bound train met with the accident around 2.17 am, PTI reported. The Sairang-New Delhi Rajdhani Express connects Mizoram's Sairang (near Aizawl) to Anand Vihar Terminal (Delhi).
Railway has issued helpline numbers at the Guwahati Railway Station:-
• 0361-2731621
• 0361-2731622
• 0361-2731623
The accident site is located about 126 km from Guwahati. Following the incident, accident relief trains and railway officials rushed to the spot to initiate rescue operations.
Train Services Disrupted
Sources said that due to the derailment and elephant body parts scattered on the tracks, train services to Upper Assam and other parts of the Northeast were affected.
Passengers from the affected coaches were temporarily accommodated in vacant berths available in other coaches of the train. Once the train reaches Guwahati, additional coaches will be attached to accommodate all passengers, after which the train will resume its onward journey.
The incident occurred at a location that is not a designated elephant corridor. The loco pilot, upon spotting the herd on the tracks, applied emergency brakes. Despite this, the elephants dashed into the train, leading to the collision and derailment.
Last month, an elephant was killed after being hit by a train in Dhupguri in West Bengal's Jalpaiguri district. The incident took place on November 30.
The adult elephant was killed on the spot, and a calf was discovered lying injured beside the tracks.
Over 70 Elephants Killed In Train Collisions Over Last 5 Years
At least 79 elephants have died in train collisions across the country in the last five years, the Environment Ministry had informed Parliament in August.
In a written reply in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Environment Kirti Vardhan Singh had said the figure is based on reports from state governments and Union Territory administrations for the period 2020-21 to 2024-25.
He said that the ministry does not maintain consolidated data on the deaths of other wild animals on railway tracks, including in designated elephant corridors.
Singh confirmed that three elephants, including a mother and her calf, were killed on July 18 this year after being hit by a speeding express train on the Kharagpur-Tatanagar section in West Bengal's Paschim Midnapore district. The incident took place near Banstala between Jhargram and Banstala stations.
The minister said several measures have been taken jointly by the Environment Ministry and the Railways to prevent such accidents.
These include imposing speed restrictions in elephant habitats, pilot projects such as seismic sensor-based detection of elephants near tracks and construction of underpasses, ramps and fencing at vulnerable points.
The Wildlife Institute of India, in consultation with the ministry and other stakeholders, has also issued guidelines titled 'Eco-friendly Measures to Mitigate Impacts of Linear Infrastructure' to help agencies design railways and other projects in ways that reduce human-animal conflicts.
Singh added that capacity-building workshops were conducted for railway officials at the Wildlife Institute of India in 2023 and 2024 to raise awareness on elephant conservation and protection.
A detailed report titled 'Suggested Measures to Mitigate Elephant & Other Wildlife Train Collisions on Vulnerable Railway Stretches in India' had also been prepared after surveys across 127 railway stretches covering 3,452 km.
Of these, 77 stretches spanning 1,965 km in 14 states were prioritised for mitigation, with site-specific interventions suggested.
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University is a temple of education and a fountain of learning now. We all know what for a temple stand in our society.
We must have the welfare of every body in mind to be fruitful to the country-an asset to the country like like Dr.A.P.J.Kalam.
Since the insitution being given the tag of institution of National importance at present by the Govt.of India and huge funds have been given to the university after partition,thus changing the very face of the university,best brains of the country must govern this university and the staff and students must be properly selected and screened
The faculty must inculcate a sense of belonging to the nation in the students.
I support Haryana FM Captain Abhimanyu in changing name of Aligarh Muslim University. Instead of renaming it after Raja Mahendra Pratap it should be after Father (if he is real) of this great FM who sacrifriced his life for independence of India. Almost all the forefathers of Captain Abhimanya died while fighting britishers. Also name of country should also be changed after Abhimanyu Father or grand Father. Likewise all the old buildigns should be renamed after fathers of bjp leaders . In case same statement comes from from Owaisi or Antony they would have been jailed by now. However, this Captain will be appreciated by bjp and especially by Ansari / MJ Akbar / Shabuddin / Naqvi etc.
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