Elephants fall victim on the rails yet again, 3 killed

January 05, 2013 11:58 pm | Updated 11:58 pm IST - KOLKATA:

Close on the heels of a tragedy in Odisha, three elephants were killed and two including a calf were critically injured, hit by the Jhajhar Express in West Bengal’s Alipurduar area on Saturday evening.

R.P. Saini, Field Director, Buxa Tiger Reserve, said the accident occurred near Rajabhatkhaoa at about 6.45 p.m.

Speed violation

S.B. Mandal, Chief Wild Life Warden, said thick fog reduced visibility but the train, running between Guwahati and Ranchi, had violated the stipulated speed limit of 50 kmph set for the elephant corridor.

Railway Minister of State Adhir Roy Chowdhury said if that charge was proved, action would be taken against the railway personnel.

Mr. Mandal said a team of veterinary doctors was treating the injured elephants at the accident spot

Seven elephants were killed in a similar incident in September, 2010 in the same region.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.