Rajdhani Express slams into elephants in Assam; 7 tuskers dead, multiple coaches derailed
No human injury or deaths were reported after the five coaches of the Rajdhani train got derailed, a railway official said.
Five coaches of a Rajdhani trains got derailed after colliding with a herd of elephants on Saturday morning , officials said on the day. Seven elephants were killed as the Sairang-New Delhi Rajdhani Express hit the herd of the tuskers in Assam.
No human injury or deaths were reported after the five coaches of the Rajdhani train got derailed, a railway official said.
The incident happened at Changjurai area in the Hojai district of Assam, Nagaon divisional forest officer Suhash Kadam was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
According to a forest official, one wild elephant was injured and eight others died.
The New Delhi-bound train collided with the elephants at around 2:17 am on Saturday.
Apart from the five coaches, the engine of the Sairang-New Delhi Rajdhani Express got derailed, a Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) spokesperson said.
Forest officials, including Kadam, have reached the accident spot.
“At about 02.17 am, in the Jamunamukh - Kampur section under Lumding Division of N.F. Railway, Train no. 20507 DN Sairang - New Delhi Rajdhani Express dashed with elephants, resulting in derailment of the locomotive and five coaches of the train. No casualties or injuries to any passenger have occurred. Accident Relief trains, along with officials from the divisional headquarters, are already at the site,” Kapinjal Kishore Sharma, Chief Public Relations Officer of the Northeast Frontier Railway, told reporters on Saturday.
In an update, Sharma said that the restoration work had been completed.
“Loco pilot applied emergency brakes and stopped the train. Restoration work completed and no injuries (human) have occurred,” he said.
Trains diverted
According to Kadam, trains that were scheduled to pass through the affected Jamunamukh–Kampur section have been diverted. They will now operate through the UP line.
The trains that have been affected operate in parts of Upper Assam and other parts of northeast, according to a report by NDTV.
Restoration work is underway. Accident relief trains and railway officials were rushed to the spot after news of the incident to initiate rescue operations, as per the NDTV report.
The Sairang-New Delhi Rajdhani Express connects Sairang in Mizoram and the Anand Vihar Railway Station in New Delhi.
The NDTV report further stated that passengers whose coaches got derailed were temporarily shifted to vacant berths available in other coaches. Once the train reaches Guwahati, officials will allocate additional coaches to accommodate the passengers, which will then continue its onward journey.