Three elephants killed by train in India after being chased by locals

Three elephants, including a baby and a mother, died after being hit by a fast train in eastern India.

The accident happened near Banshtala station in West Bengal early Thursday morning.

According to forest officials and local news, a group of people used noise and fire to scare the elephants away from a village. This way of scaring elephants is called a “hulla party”.

People made loud sounds and used torches to chase the animals into the forest. But the elephants ran toward the train tracks instead.

The Janshatabdi Express train hit the elephants around 1:45 am. The impact killed three elephants.

The forest department informed railway officials about the presence of elephants in the area a few hours before the accident. They sent the warning around 11 pm on Thursday. Usually, trains slow down after such a warning.

The Divisional Railway Manager of Kharagpur and the forest department have started a full investigation to find out what went wrong.

Human-elephant conflict

The area is known for human-elephant conflict. Elephants often enter villages in search of food, and people try to drive them away.

Wildlife groups say that chasing elephants can be dangerous. They are asking the government to use safer ways to protect both people and animals.

This is not the first time elephants have died on this train line. Conservationists are asking for slower train speeds at night and better protection for elephant paths.

The bodies of the elephants were taken off the railway tracks by forest and railway workers.