google-site-verification: googlec7193c3de77668c9.html

Six elephants dead after being struck by train in Sri Lanka

Advertisements

A passenger train derailed after striking a herd of elephants near a wildlife reserve in central Sri Lanka in the early hours of Thursday.

While no injuries were reported among passengers, six elephants died from the accident in Habarana, east of the capital Colombo.

Two injured elephants were being treated, police said, noting that it was the worst such wildlife accident the country had seen, AFP reported.

It is not uncommon for trains to run into herds of elephants in Sri Lanka, where casualties on both sides of human-elephant encounters are among the highest in the world.

Last year, more than 170 people and nearly 500 elephants were killed in such encounters.

Elephants, whose natural habitats are affected by deforestation and shrinking resources, have increasingly strayed into places of human activity.

Around 20 elephants are killed by trains annually, according to local media.

Some have urged drivers to slow down and sound the train horns to warn animals ahead on railway tracks.

In 2018, a pregnant elephant and its two calves similarly died in Habarana after being struck by a train. The three had been part of a larger herd crossing the train tracks at dawn.

Last October, another train ran into a herd in Minneriya, about 25km away from Habarana, killing two elephants and injuring one.

There are an estimated 7,000 wild elephants in Sri Lanka, where the animals, revered by its Buddhist majority, are protected by law. Killing an elephant is a crime punishable by imprisonment or a fine.


BBC News

Views: 0

See also  Scramble at 30-storey Bangkok building reduced to rubble

Check Also

North Korea's powerhouse women footballers are in Seoul to fight for title

They beat the South Korean club to progress to the final of the Asian Women’s …

AI used to fake evidence that ended Korean actor's career, say police

Police are seeking an arrest warrant for a YouTuber who allegedly fabricated evidence to defame …

US pauses $14bn weapons sale to Taiwan due to Iran war

US acting navy chief Hung Cao told a Senate hearing they were “doing a pause” …

Leave a Reply

Available for Amazon Prime