One more elephant hit by train, dead

The incident occurred at 3 am. With this, the total number of elephant deaths due to collision with speeding trains reached five in the past two years.

8220;The accident took place when a speeding goods train hit an elephant at the Rajabhatkhawa crossing. An investigation will take place and an inquiry will be held to ascertain whether the driver of the goods train had been careless,8221; said L G Lepcha, field director, Buxa Tiger Reserve.

Despite areas on the stretch being identified as elephant corridors and a few zones being declared as vulnerable, the stretch still remains a high risk zone for animals many of whom fall victim to speeding trains.