Fuel train hits elephant herd in Sri Lanka, killing two

In a tragic incident near Minneriya National Park Sri Lanka‚ a fuel train collided with a herd of wild elephants yesterday resulting in the death of two elephants and injury to another. The accident which occurred about 200 kilometers from Colombo‚ led to the derailment of two petrol tankers causing significant fuel leakage and railway damage.

N.W. Jayalath the train driver‚ described the sudden appearance of nearly 20 elephants on the tracks: “There was about 10 meters between us. So we couldnt do anything. We pressed the breaks to their maximum capacity but there was nothing much we could do At least four elephants were knocked down“

The train was carrying eight tankers five with diesel and three with petrol (each holding 50‚000 liters). The collision resulted in two petrol tankers and the conductorʼs compartment derailing; however no train personnel were harmed.

Local resident V.J. Jackson remarked: “This is the first time I saw this kind of incident. We came here after hearing the honking of the train and the screaming of the elephants we saw elephants lying everywhere and the train had derailed“

Hasini Sarathchandra from the wildlife department confirmed that two elephants died on-site while the injured one was treated and released back to its herd.

Minneriya National Park — part of an “elephant corridor“ connecting Kaudulla and Wasgamuwa National parks — is renowned for year-round elephant sightings. However‚ the elephant population in Sri Lanka has drastically declined from about 14‚000 in the 19th century to 6‚000 in 2011.

Elephant-train collisions have increased recently due to habitat loss and elephants search for food and water. Government statistics show that seven elephants have died this year from train accidents‚ while 24 died last year