Seven elephants killed as high-speed train hits herd crossing tracks in Assam

Seven wild Asiatic elephants were killed and a calf was injured when a high-speed Rajdhani Express collided with a herd crossing railway tracks in Assam early Saturday, authorities said. The accident occurred in a forested area about 125 kilometers (78 miles) southeast of Guwahati, as trains move through a region with one of the country’s largest concentrations of wild elephants.

The Delhi-bound train, which originated in Mizoram and was carrying about 650 passengers, was approaching the village of Changjurai when the driver spotted roughly 100 elephants crossing the tracks and applied the emergency brakes. Despite the braking, several animals were struck, Indian Railways spokesman Kapinjal Kishore Sharma told The Associated Press. Five coaches and the engine derailed, but there were no human casualties. He said the derailed coaches were later separated from the rest of the train and the service resumed toward New Delhi, with about 200 passengers from the affected cars moved to a different train in Guwahati.

Autopsies were performed on the carcasses, and veterinarians planned to bury the elephants later in the day. The incident site is not classified as an elephant corridor by Railway officials, who noted that such crossings are common along Assam’s rail route but not all crossings are designated for wildlife passages.

The Northeast Frontier Railway said there were no injuries among passengers or staff, and that service to the capital continued after the derailment. The episode underscores ongoing tension between rapid rail travel and wildlife movement in northeastern India, where elephants routinely cross human infrastructure during seasons of crop harvest.

Assam is home to an estimated 7,000 wild Asiatic elephants, one of the highest concentrations in India. Since 2020, the state has seen at least a dozen elephants killed by speeding trains, according to the Wildlife Trust of India and local reporting. Elephant herds frequently stray into human settlements during November and December, when rice harvests peak, increasing the chance of encounters with railway lines and other infrastructure.

Officials noted that the incident location was not an elephant corridor, a focused route set aside to allow elephant movements with fewer human-wildlife conflicts. India maintains roughly 150 identified corridors, but not every area with elephant activity has a corridor designation, a point highlighted by railway statements and regional conservation groups. The broader pattern raises questions about how infrastructure planning accounts for wildlife migrations and habitat use in this region.

Images captured in the aftermath show responders assessing the scene and removing carcasses, with the derailed train cars and the surrounding forested landscape visible along the tracks. The incident adds to a history of train-related wildlife fatalities in Assam, where the elephant population remains a conservation priority amid expanding transportation networks.

In Assam, authorities and conservation groups have repeatedly urged improved mitigation measures, including better timing of train services and enhanced monitoring in wildlife-rich areas, to reduce similar fatalities. The incident follows years of concern about how high-speed rail corridors intersect with elephant habitats and migratory routes, a debate that environmental advocates say requires coordinated planning across state and national agencies to protect both transport efficiency and wildlife populations.