Female elephant killed after being hit by goods train in Odisha

Dhenkanal’s divisional forest officer Sudarshan Patra said the female elephant, was crossing the railway tracks at around 4am in Kaunriapal under Sadar forest range when the accident occurred.

A female elephant died on Thursday morning after being hit by a goods train in Odisha’s Dhenkanal district, officials said, taking the death toll of the animals to 16 this year.

A female elephant died after being hit by a goods train in Odisha’s district, officials said, taking the death toll of the animals to 16 this year. (AFP/Representative Image)

Dhenkanal’s divisional forest officer Sudarshan Patra said the female elephant, around 30 years old, was crossing the railway tracks at around 4am in Kaunriapal under Sadar forest range when the accident occurred. The elephant is suspected to have died quickly under the impact of the collision.

Patra said forest department officials reached the spot after being informed about the incident and started an investigation.

A female elephant was knocked down similarly by a goods train in Dhenkanal district in February this year. In April last year, four elephants, including a tusker and a calf trying to cross a railway track in Jharsuguda district, were crushed to death by a speeding train.

In 2018-19, a record number of 91 elephants were killed in Odisha.

Similarly, 25 humans have been killed in the man-elephant conflict in 2019 while 92 were killed in 2018.