A full-grown elephant sustained grievous injuries after being struck by a speeding train in Tripura’s Khowai district late on Saturday, raising concerns over railway safety measures in designated elephant corridors.
The collision occurred on Saturday night when a local train travelling from Agartala to Dharmanagar hit the elephant at Champlai, a known elephant corridor.
District Forest Officer (DFO) Akshay Balu Bhorde reported that the elephant was found bleeding profusely and rendered immobile due to severe fractures in both hind legs.
“The elephant herd was moving from one habitation to another when the accident happened,” Bhorde said.
He added that the train, which was supposed to operate at a cautious speed of 20 km/h through the corridor, might have been travelling at over 50 km/h, resulting in the catastrophic injuries to the animal.
The injured elephant later received preliminary treatment from a team from the state veterinary hospital.
Northeast Frontier Railway's Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) Kapinjal Kishore Sharma stated, “It was not exactly known what has happened because the loco pilot is not aware of any mishap. The loco pilot cautiously passed the elephant corridor. A probe is on to know what exactly occurred on Saturday night.”
This is not the first such incident in the area. In February, an elephant lost its life in a similar mishap at Champlai. Following the earlier tragedy, forest officials had urged railway authorities to enforce speed restrictions within the elephant corridor between Teliamura and Mugiakami.
In July, a male elephant succumbed to injuries after being struck by a speeding train near Jagiroad Railway Station in Assam’s Morigaon district.
The video of the elephant falling from grave injuries was shared widely on social media.
The pachyderm, separated from its herd, was fatally hit by the Silchar-bound Kanchenjunga Express at Tegheria. Assam, home to the second-largest elephant population in India after Karnataka, frequently witnesses such tragic incidents involving its rich wildlife.
“The February incident should have served as a cautionary tale,” Bhorde said. “Last night’s incident could have been avoided had the loco pilot operated the train within the speed limit of 20 km/h as we had suggested.”
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