Train mows 2 elephants

Two wild elephants coming down from the Rani Reserved Forest in the southwest outskirts of the state capital were mowed down by a speeding goods train around Thursday midnight. Forest officials blamed the railways for not taking enough care when the train was passing through an area known for elephant crossings. This is the second time that elephants coming down from the Rani forest to drink and bathe in Deepar Beel, a vast wetland and Ramsar Site, have been killed while crossing the railway track.

Guwahati wildlife division DFO Surajit Dutta said a herd of 18 elephants that had come down from Rani Reserved Forest was crossing the railway track when a goods train hit two of the elephants. While one of the elephants fell down into the water, the other was dragged for about 300 metres by the moving train.

For the railways, it has always been a problem with such incidents occurring more often. 8220;We have special instructions for drivers to follow when passing through elephant territory,8221; Northeast Frontier Railway CPRO Trikalagya Rabha said. Dutta, however, said drivers hardly adhere to them.