Train hits five elephants, two dead

February 28, 2010 07:45 pm | Updated 07:45 pm IST - Guwahati

An elephant knocked down by a train in Deepor Beel Wildlife Sanctuary in the outskirts of Guwahati city on Sunday. Photo: Ritu Raj Konwar

An elephant knocked down by a train in Deepor Beel Wildlife Sanctuary in the outskirts of Guwahati city on Sunday. Photo: Ritu Raj Konwar

A goods train knocked down a herd of five elephants crossing the track on the outskirts of the city, killing two of them and injuring three others, including a calf, on Sunday.

Assam state zoo director Narayan Mahanta said the herd was crossing the track along the Deepor Beel to drink water when they were hit by the train around 12.15 pm. Last year, one elephant had died in the same area.

Two female pachyderms died on the spot. Three others, including a calf, were seriously injured and they were brought to the state zoo for treatment.

The adjacent forest along the Deepor Beel has a good number of elephants which come down the hill for drinking water from the freshwater beel, he said.

The state Forest department had put up posters asking passersby to be careful about the movement of wildlife while the North East Frontier railway have been urged to minimise speed of trains in the area.

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