7 elephants killed by train in India
At least seven elephants were killed and one injured after a passenger train collided with a herd in India’s northeastern Assam state, officials confirmed on Saturday, once again highlighting the escalating human-wildlife conflict in the region.
According to senior Assam police official V.V. Rakesh Reddy, the tragic incident occurred in the Hojai district when a passenger train travelling from the remote state of Mizoram to New Delhi rammed into the elephants as they crossed the railway tracks. The impact killed seven elephants on the spot, while another sustained injuries.
No passengers were reported injured in the accident; however, five coaches of the train were derailed following the collision, causing temporary disruption to rail traffic in the area.
Indian Railways spokesperson Kapinjal Kishore Sharma said that the train driver applied emergency brakes after spotting the herd on the tracks, but the elephants still collided with the moving train. He added that the accident occurred outside officially designated elephant corridors, where speed restrictions are usually enforced to prevent such incidents.
Assam is home to more than 4,000 wild elephants, making it one of the most significant elephant habitats in India, which has an estimated wild elephant population of around 22,000. Despite measures such as speed limits and warning systems along known elephant movement routes, accidents involving trains continue to occur in areas outside protected corridors.
Environmental experts say deforestation, expanding railway networks and construction activities near forested areas are forcing elephants to roam further in search of food, increasing the risk of deadly encounters with vehicles and humans.
India has witnessed a sharp rise in human-elephant conflict in recent years. According to official parliamentary data, at least 629 people were killed by elephants across the country during 2023 and 2024, underscoring the severity of the issue.
Wildlife activists have repeatedly urged Indian authorities to expand elephant corridors, install advanced warning systems and reassess railway routes passing through forest regions to prevent further loss of wildlife.
