Rajdhani Train Kills 7 Elephants in Assam, Derails Coaches

A high-speed Rajdhani Express train collided with a herd of elephants in Assam's Hojai district early on December 20, killing seven of the animals and injuring a calf while derailing the locomotive and five coaches, railway officials reported. The incident, which occurred around 2:17 a.m. in the Changjurai area near Kampur, disrupted rail services across parts of the Northeast but resulted in no injuries to passengers or crew.

The Sairang-New Delhi Rajdhani Express, train number 20507, was en route from Mizoram's Sairang to Delhi's Anand Vihar Terminal when the locomotive struck the elephants as they crossed the tracks in the Jamunamukh-Kampur section under the Lumding Division of the Northeast Frontier Railway. The site, approximately 126 kilometers from Guwahati, is not designated as an elephant corridor, according to forest and railway authorities. The train's loco pilot spotted the herd and applied emergency brakes, but the animals moved into the path of the train, causing the collision.

Forest officials, including Nagaon Divisional Forest Officer Suhash Kadam, confirmed that seven elephants died at the scene, with the injured calf rescued and receiving treatment. Local...