Four elephants killed by train in India while crossing rail tracks
Locals gather at scene to pray and leave floral tributes to animals which are celebrated as living incarnation of god Ganesh among Hindus
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Four elephants including a young calf were killed after a herd was hit by a train while they walked across the tracks.
The animals were trekking through the Bagdihi forest range when they were struck at an unmanned level crossing at 3.30am.
It's thought the herd had travelled 12.5 miles from a wildlife reserve and three cranes were used to move the bodies from the tracks, in India.
Locals gathered at the scene to pray and leave floral tributes to the animals, which Hindus believe are a living incarnation of the god Ganesh.
Jharsuguda divisional forest officer Sushant Kumar said: “All the four elephants were killed in the impact of collision.
“Although there was no elephant movement in the area for the past three to four months, the railway authorities were duly informed to reduce train speed in that section.
”Besides, they were also requested to follow guidelines including making continuous hooting along the stretch.“
SWNS
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.