Elephant run over by train

DEHRADUN: A 9-year-old male elephant was crushed to death and another female elephant injured on Sunday when the Jan Shatabdi Express hit them near Delhi-Rishikesh national highway in Uttarakhand’s Haridwar district.

Deputy director of Rajaji National Park HK Singh said incident occurred at 6.30am as these elephants were crossing the railway track in Rajaji National Park. Singh said Jan Shatabdi Express was on its way to Delhi from Dehradun at the time of incident.

Singh said the male elephant succumbed to multiple injuries minutes after the incident. Another elephant is under treatment by a team of veterinary surgeons on the spot and is critical.

Singh said these two jumbos were crossing the railway track as it is a part of elephant corridor in Rajaji National Park. A senior Railway official said Jan Shatabdi Express was delayed by six hours as its engine was derailed due to accident.