In a tragic accident, the Sairang-New Delhi Rajdhani Express derailed near Kampur, which is in Central Assam’s Nagaon District. This accident occurred in the wee hours of Saturday, due to which seven wild elephants died. As revealed by Deccan Herald in its report, five coaches and a locomotive have derailed at about 2:17 AM.
Train Derails After Colliding With A Herd Of Elephants
Although there has been no injury to passengers, as revealed by the Northeast Frontier Railway officials, seven elephants did die. The emergency brakes were applied when the local pilot observed a herd of elephants. However, the collision still happened. At this point, it’s worth noting that the location where this accident took place is not a designated elephant corridor. It is about 126 km away from Guwahati.
This Was Not In An Elephant Corridor
These wild elephants came out of the neighbouring hills and ended up crashing with the train as mentioned in the same report. Such accidents of elephant deaths on the track are becoming a concern, especially during winter. However, the railway has adopted several steps so that such mishaps can be avoided. With accident relief trains already on the site, helpline numbers have also been activated at the Guwahati Railway Station. These are 0361-273 1621/2731622/2731623.
It should be noted that the passengers of the affected coaches have also been temporarily accommodated in the vacant berths that were available in other coaches. As further revealed in a report of NDTV, due to the derailment, train services to Upper Assam and other parts of the Northeast were affected. Once the train reaches Guwahati, additional coaches will be attached to accommodate all passengers, after which it will resume its onward journey. It is worth noting that this is not an isolated incident. Just last month, an elephant was killed after it was hit by a train in Dhupguri, which is in Jalpaiguri District of West Bengal.
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Not An Isolated Incident
The incident took place on November 3,0th and the adult elephant was killed on the spot while the calf was discovered lying injured beside the track. Did you know that more than 70 elephants have been killed in train collisions over the last five years, as mentioned in the same report by NDTV? Yes, several measures have already been taken jointly by the Environment Ministry and the Railways so that such accidents can be prevented. Some of these include the imposition of speed restrictions in elephant habitats, and even pilot projects like seismic sensor-based detection of elephants near tracks.
Cover Image Courtesy: Canva Pro/designbydx from Getty Images (Cover image is for representative purposes only)
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