Train smashes into elephants

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AFP) — A Sri Lankan passenger train derailed Thursday after smashing into a family of elephants, with no passengers injured but killing six of the animals in the island’s worst wildlife accident, police said.

The express train was traveling near a wildlife reserve at Habarana, some 180 kilometers east of the capital Colombo, when it hit the herd crossing the line before dawn.

“The train derailed, but there were no casualties among the passengers,” police said, adding that wildlife authorities were treating two elephants who survived the crash.

Videos shot after the accident showed one elephant standing guard over an injured youngster lying beside the tracks, with the tips of their trunks curled together.

Killing or harming elephants is a criminal offense in Sri Lanka, which has an estimated 7,000 wild elephants, with the animals considered a national treasure, partly due to their significance in Buddhist culture.

Two baby elephants and their pregnant mother were killed in a similar accident by a train in the same area in September 2018.

Since then, the authorities Aspeed limits to minimize injury to elephants when going through areas where they cross the lines.