GUWAHATI (Reuters/AFP) - Seven elephants were killed and one injured when a Delhi-bound train collided with a herd in northeast India early on Saturday, district police chief VV Rakesh Reddy said.
The incident in the Hojai district of Assam state occurred at a location that is not a designated elephant corridor, Northeast Frontier Railway said in a statement.
No travellers were injured in the accident in Assam state, home to more than 4,000 of the roughly 22,000 wild elephants in India.
The locomotive pilot applied the emergency brakes upon seeing the herd, but the elephants rushed toward the train, the company said.
The collision at 2:17 a.m. (2047 GMT on Friday) caused the locomotive and five coaches of the train to derail, but no people were injured, the statement said.
"Trains scheduled to pass through that section are being diverted through another line. Restoration works are on," the railway said.
Deforestation and construction activity near their habitats force elephants to stray further afield for food, often bringing them into conflict with humans.
According to parliamentary figures, 629 people were killed by elephants across India in 2023-2024.