Silchar: A newborn elephant calf, rescued after its mother was killed in a collision with a Rajdhani Express in Assam’s Hojai district, died on Sunday morning despite intensive medical care, forest and wildlife officials said.
Seven wild elephants were killed early Saturday when the New Delhi-bound Rajdhani Express rammed into a herd in the Jamunamukh–Kampur section under the Lumding Division of the Northeast Frontier Railway. One of the elephants was pregnant, and veterinarians managed to retrieve the calf alive during a post-accident intervention.
Bhaskar Choudhary, a veterinarian with the Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation (CWRC) near Kaziranga National Park, said the calf was critically injured when it was rescued. “We provided all possible emergency medical support, but the injuries were too severe. The calf succumbed around 10.15 am on Sunday,” he said.
Choudhary added that post-mortem examinations were conducted on all eight elephants, including the calf, following established protocols. “The calf died due to respiratory failure. There was extensive internal bleeding. Had the accident not occurred, the birth would likely have taken place naturally within two or three days,” he said.
The collision caused the locomotive and several coaches of the train to derail, briefly disrupting rail traffic in the Lumding–Guwahati section. Railway officials said no passengers were injured, and those travelling in affected coaches were accommodated in other parts of the train before services resumed after detaching damaged coaches. Restoration work continued through Saturday and Sunday morning as the track had suffered damage.
{{/usCountry}}The collision caused the locomotive and several coaches of the train to derail, briefly disrupting rail traffic in the Lumding–Guwahati section. Railway officials said no passengers were injured, and those travelling in affected coaches were accommodated in other parts of the train before services resumed after detaching damaged coaches. Restoration work continued through Saturday and Sunday morning as the track had suffered damage.
{{/usCountry}}Chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma termed the incident deeply disturbing and said he had ordered a detailed inquiry. “I have directed the Forest Department to conduct a thorough probe and to take concrete steps to further secure wildlife corridors, especially during seasons of low visibility,” Sarma said in a statement.
The Northeast Frontier Railway, however, maintained that the accident site was not a designated elephant corridor. Officials said the railway zone has nearly 80 notified animal corridors across the Northeast, Bihar and parts of West Bengal. According to railway authorities, the loco pilot applied emergency brakes upon sighting the herd, but the elephants collided with the moving train.
Assam has witnessed multiple incidents of elephants being killed by trains over the years.
Wildlife conservationists have questioned the explanation of the railway department, arguing that elephant movement is not restricted to officially notified corridors. Bibhab Talukdar of Assam-based conservation group Aaranyak said better coordination between the Railways and the Forest Department was essential to prevent such tragedies, particularly during winter when visibility is poor.
Assam’s forest and environment minister Chandra Mohan Patowary described the deaths as a matter of grave concern and said senior forest officials had been directed to engage with top railway authorities to ensure preventive measures are strengthened.