Elephant family crosses railroad tracks: Only two survive

Colombo - Six elephants have been killed ina train accident in Sri Lanka.

Among the elephants killed were also young animals.
Among the elephants killed were also young animals.  © AFP

A passenger train ran into a family of elephants near the Habarana nature reserve early on Thursday morning, police said.

The train derailed, but no people were injured, they added.

According to the information, two elephants survived the accident injured. They were being cared for by the animal welfare authorities. Video footage taken shortly after the accident shows an elephant standing next to a young animal lying on the ground.

Killing or injuring elephants is a criminal offense in Sri Lanka. Around 7000 elephants live in the wild in the South Asian island state. The animals are considered a national treasure.

In a similar incident in September 2018, two young elephants and their pregnant mother were killed. Afterwards, train drivers were warned to observe speed limits to reduce the risk of injury in areas where the animals frequently cross the tracks.

After the train had mowed down a herd of elephants, it jumped off the tracks.
After the train had mowed down a herd of elephants, it jumped off the tracks.  © AFP

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) considers Asian elephants to be an endangered species. Around 26,000 of them live in the wild, most of them in India.