Seven elephants killed by speeding train

JALPAIGURI (WB): Seven elephants were killed and one injured when a speeding goods train hit the animals while they were crossing the railway tracks near Binnaguri in Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal, forest department sources said.

Five elephants were killed on the spot late last night while two others succumbed to their injuries this morning, divisional forest officer (Wildlife) Sunita Ghatak said.

A herd of elephants was crossing the railway tracks while going from Moraghat forest to Diana forest last night, when two baby elephants got trapped on the tracks, she said.

When other elephants came to the rescue of the baby elephants, a goods train which was passing through at that time hit them, killing five elephants on the spot and injuring three, the DFO said.

While two of the injured animals succumbed to their injuries this morning, another elephant is injured, she said.

Movement of trains on the track which connects New Jalpaiguri with Assam was suspended till this morning as another herd of elephants was guarding the dead and injured elephants, the DFO said.

Three months ago, another elephant was run over and killed by a train near the same spot.

Speeding trains often hit elephants in the area as the railway line crosses the elephant corridor, forest officials said.

Railway officials have been requested a number of times to restrict the speed limit of trains plying in the area to 40-km/hr for the safety of the elephants, they said.