Colombo, Sri Lanka – At least six elephants were killed when a passenger train hit a herd near a wildlife sanctuary in Sri LankaAn official said Thursday.
Four baby Elephants And two adults died in the collision near Minneriya, about 200 kilometers (124 miles) from the capital, Colombo. The area is recognized by its Pure and Wildlife Park, said Hasini Saathchandra, spokesman for the Government’s Wildlife Department.
Local television channels showed that the train engine and several compartments had derailed after the collision. No passenger was injured, said a railway official, who refused to be appointed since he was not authorized to talk to the media.
Sarathchandra said that the Silvestre Department of Life has begun an investigation into the incident.
The Minneriya National Park attracts FAR of tourists every year in the hope of seeing elephants in their wild habitats. It is part of the “Elephant Corridor” that connects the national parks of Kaudulla and Wasgamuwa.
Train collisions involving elephants have increased in recent years In Sri Lanka, with wild elephants trying to cross the railroad tracks in search of food and water. They are increasingly vulnerable due to the loss and degradation of their habitat Pure and many venture closer to human settlements in search of food. Some are killed by poachers or farmers angry with damage to their crops.
According to government statistics, nine elephants died in 2024 after being demolished by trains, compared to 24 in 2023.
Although elephants are revered in the island nation of the Indian Ocean, they are in danger of extinction with their numbers that decrease from approximately 14,000 in the nineteenth to 6,000 century in 2011, according to the first elephant census in the country.
