Four elephants killed by speeding train in Jharsuguda

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KalingaTV News Network

Jharsuguda: At least four wild elephants were killed after being hit by a train while crossing the railway track near Teladiha level crossing under Bagdihi Forest Range in the district on Monday.

The killed pachyderms include a tusker, two female elephants and a calf.

The mishap took place early in the morning while the elephant herd was trying the cross over the railway track in search of food. A freight carrier dashed against them on the track killing the animals on the spot.

While the incident took place at around 4 AM, the elephant carcasses remained scattered across the track till 8 AM in the morning bringing the rail traffic along the Rourkela-Jharsuguda route to a complete halt. The service was restored only after forest officials reached the spot and removed the carcasses with the help of JCB machines.

The incident has raised concern among the forest officials as elephant death due to train accident remains a major threat to pachyderm population in the state despite all measures. As per official data, a total of 16 elephants died after being hit by trains in Odisha during the period from 2000 to 2013. Similarly, Odisha alone constitutes around 2% of elephant deaths occurred due to train mishap occurred in the country since 1987.

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