Assam train accident: 7 elephants killed, Rajdhani Express derails in collision in Assam’s Hojai district

Hojai SP V V Rakesh Reddy confirmed that seven elephants were killed in the accident. “Rescue teams are present at the site. The Rajdhani Express coaches have been attached to another engine, and they have left the station now,” he said.

In a statement, Northeast Frontier Railway spokesperson Kapinjal Kishore Sharma said that the accident took place at 2:17 am in the Jamunamukh-Kampur section under Lumding Division of Northeast Frontier Railway, when the Sairang to New Delhi Rajdhani Express collided with elephants. The site of the accident is around 126 kilometres away from Guwahati.

“Senior railway officers, including the General Manager of N F Railway and Divisional Railway Manager of Lumding, have also rushed to the site. The passengers of the affected coaches have been temporarily accommodated in the vacant berths available in other coaches. The derailment-affected train, after detaching the affected coaches, has left the site for Guwahati at 6:11 am. Once the train reaches Guwahati, additional coaches will be added to accommodate the passengers of the affected coaches, and the train will resume its journey,” he said.

The Railways stated that the accident site is “not a designated elephant corridor”.

“The loco pilot, on observing the herd of elephants, applied emergency brakes. However, elephants dashed with the train,” he said.

He stated that restoration works are underway and that trains scheduled to pass through that section are being diverted through the UP line.