Tragedy Strikes: Rajdhani Express Kills Eight Elephants in India

In Hojai district of Assam state, India, eight wild elephants lost their lives and a small elephant calf was injured in a horrific train accident that occurred early Saturday morning. This tragedy caused severe disruptions to train services.

The Rajdhani Express train, which was traveling from Sarang to New Delhi, collided with a herd of elephants, causing the engine and five coaches to derail. Fortunately, authorities confirmed that no passengers were injured. Wildlife officials stated that eight elephants died at the scene of the accident, and one injured elephant calf was rescued.

The train, traveling from Sarang in Mizoram to Anand Vihar Terminal in Delhi, faced this tragedy around 2:17 AM while passing through a dangerous spot located about 126 kilometers from Guwahati city. Immediately after the accident, relief trains and railway officials promptly reached the scene and commenced rescue operations. It is reported that train traffic in Upper Assam and the northeastern regions was severely disrupted due to the train's derailment and the bodies of the deceased animals scattered across the railway track.

Railway authorities immediately directed passengers from the affected coaches to empty seats in other coaches of the train, and arrangements were made to add extra coaches to accommodate all passengers once the train reached Guwahati. According to statements from authorities, this area was not typically identified as an elephant corridor. Although the driver applied emergency brakes immediately upon spotting the elephant herd on the tracks, the collision could not be avoided as the elephants ran towards the train. Previously, on November 30, another incident was reported in Jalpaiguri district, West Bengal, where an elephant was killed and a calf injured after being hit by a train.

The Ministry of Environment revealed to Parliament last August that 79 elephants have died across India due to train collisions over the past five years. Minister of State for Environment, Kirti Vardhan Singh, stated in the Lok Sabha that these figures were based on reports received from state governments for the period between 2020 and 2025. He also confirmed that on July 18 last year, three elephants, including a mother and a calf, were killed by a train in West Bengal. However, the Minister added that the Ministry does not possess consolidated data on other wildlife deaths occurring on railway tracks.