India express train kills seven elephants crossing tracks

Seven wild Asian elephants, including calves, were killed early Saturday in the Hojai district of Assam, India, when a high-speed train struck a herd crossing the tracks. Another calf was injured in the incident. The Northeast Frontier Railway reported that the train driver attempted to brake upon seeing the elephants, but the collision caused five carriages to derail. While no passengers or staff were injured, the accident led to train cancellations and diversions in the area. The location was not a designated elephant corridor, although elephants frequently cross railway tracks in Assam, which has a large elephant population. The deceased elephants were examined by veterinarians and subsequently buried.

In Assam, northeastern India, a high-speed Rajdhani Express train struck a herd of approximately 100 wild Asiatic elephants early Saturday morning, killing seven and injuring one calf. The train, carrying around 650 passengers from Mizoram to New Delhi, derailed its engine and five coaches due to the impact. While no passengers were harmed, about 200 were transferred to another train to continue their journey. The incident highlights the ongoing issue of train-related elephant deaths in Assam, where at least a dozen have died on railway tracks since 2020. Assam is home to around 7,000 wild Asiatic elephants, an endangered species with an estimated 30,000 to 50,000 remaining in the wild.

In Assam, northeastern India, a high-speed Rajdhani Express train struck a herd of approximately 100 wild Asiatic elephants early Saturday morning, killing seven and injuring one calf. The train, carrying around 650 passengers from Mizoram to New Delhi, derailed its engine and five coaches due to the impact. While no passengers were harmed, about 200 were transferred to another train to continue their journey. The incident highlights the ongoing issue of train-related elephant deaths in Assam, where at least a dozen have died on railway tracks since 2020. Assam is home to around 7,000 wild Asiatic elephants, an endangered species with an estimated 30,000 to 50,000 remaining in the wild.

On Saturday, December 20, 2025, a passenger train in Assam, northeastern India, struck a herd of approximately 100 elephants, killing seven and injuring one. The train was partially derailed, but none of the roughly 650 passengers were harmed due to the driver's quick action in applying the brakes. The incident occurred in a forested area not designated as an "elephant corridor," a protected zone for elephant crossings. Experts attribute the increasing frequency of such encounters to habitat loss caused by human encroachment, forcing elephants to seek food in more areas, including railway tracks. Trains were diverted for several hours as a result of the accident.