Guwahati: At least seven elephants were killed early Saturday when the DN-Sairang–New Delhi Rajdhani Express struck a herd in Assam’s Hojai district, derailing the engine and five coaches, officials said.
The incident occurred at 2:17 a.m. in the Jamunamukh–Kampur section under the Lumding division of Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR).
Initially, reports stated that all eight elephants had died, but it was later revealed that one was found injured.
Railway officials confirmed that no passengers or staff were injured. The site is approximately 126 km from Guwahati.
Accident relief trains and officials from the divisional headquarters were dispatched to the location immediately.
Passengers from the affected coaches were temporarily accommodated in vacant berths in other coaches.
After detaching the derailed coaches, the train departed for Guwahati.
Additional coaches will be attached there to accommodate all passengers before the journey resumes.
Helpline numbers have been activated at Guwahati railway station: 0361-2731621, 0361-2731622, and 0361-2731623.
Officials said the accident occurred in an area that is not a designated elephant corridor. The train pilot applied emergency brakes after spotting the herd, but the elephants were still struck.
Trains scheduled to pass through the section are being diverted through alternate lines, and restoration work is underway.
Divisional Forest Officer of Nagaon, Suhas Kadam, said details regarding the elephants killed are still awaited.
Wildlife expert Bibhab Talukdar, CEO of Aaranyak, noted that better coordination between the railways and forest department is needed to track elephant movements and prevent such accidents.