Calf succumbs to injuries, elephant death toll rises to 8 in Sangjurai train collision

Guwahati: Number of elephant casualties in the Sangjurai train collision rose to eight on Sunday after a calf, less than 15 days old, succumbed to injuries while receiving treatment at the Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation (CWRC) in Kaziranga.

“It was a male elephant calf which suffered a leg fracture, spinal injury, and internal injuries,” Kampur range forest officer Shamim Aktar told TOI, noting that the calf died at around 10:40am on Sunday.


Seven elephants, including four calves, were killed instantly when the Delhi-bound Sairang (Mizoram)-New Delhi Rajdhani Express collided with a herd at 2:17am on Saturday. The accident occurred at Sangjurai village in the Jamunamukh-Kampur section of NF Railway. There was no intrusion detection system (IDS) at the site, and according to some local villagers, fog during night hours may have contributed to the tragedy.

Following the incident, NF Railway imposed a speed restriction of 30 kmph for all trains within 1km of the accident site. NF Railway CPRO KK Sharma said restoration works were completed on Saturday evening. “Immediately, we imposed a speed restriction of 30 kmph for all trains and deployed a watchman round-the-clock to guard 500 metres on both sides of the accident site,” he said. These measures will remain in place for one week, with further instructions likely in the coming days, he added.

Concerns remain for the forest department and railways, as two elephant herds are roaming within 2km of the accident site. Forest officials said one herd of about 60 elephants was located in Bherbheri, just 1.5km away, while another herd of around 30 elephants was in Natun Gaon. “Forest guards are on alert to protect the herds, which may attempt to cross the rail track at any moment. One herd reportedly crossed the track near the accident site three times during the early hours on Sunday,” a senior forest official said.

The incident, which sent shockwaves across the country, prompted CM Himanta Biswa Sarma to direct the state forest department to conduct a detailed enquiry and take steps to further secure wildlife corridors, particularly during low-visibility seasons.

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