Rourkela, Oct 15: In a tragic incident, a baby elephant was killed after being hit by a goods train in Rourkela of Sundergarh district, late last night.
The incident occurred around 9:30 pm when villagers were attempting to drive away a herd of elephants. In the chaos, the herd ran towards a moving goods train on the Howrah-Mumbai line near Bondamunda. Meanwhile, one of the baby elephants was hit by the train and killed on the spot, while some others in the herd are believed to have sustained injuries.
The presence of the herd of elephants, visibly angry, has left the locals panic-stricken.
Railway Police Force, local railway authorities, and forest officials have reached the spot and taking stock of the situation.
As a precaution, trains passing through the area have been instructed to operate at reduced speeds to avoid further accidents due to the presence of the elephants.
