Six jumbos run over by train in Ganjam

--12 elephants die in 3 months in Ganjam

BRAHMAPUR/BHUBANESWAR: In a heartrending incident, six jumbos including two calves were killed when a speeding train hit the pachyderms at Subalaya village under Rambha police station in Ganjam district, 40 km from here, on late Saturday night. One contractual railway employee also died on the spot when he lost control and fell off the moving train during the mishap.

At around 1 am on Sunday, the herd of five elephants including a tusker with a calf and three female elephants, while crossing the railway line at Subalaya village in between Rambha and Humma railway station, was hit by Chennai bound Howrah-Chennai Coromandel Super Fast Express, forest officials said.

“After the fatal accident, the fully developed fetus of a pregnant elephant came out of the womb and died in the spot,” said Brahmapur Divisional Forest Officer SS Mishra. The train speed was so high as a result the body parts of the elephants fell hither and thither, said the forest officials. The forest officials have sent the carcasses for postmortem.

Meanwhile, forest and railway officials have arrived on the spot and started investigation. After the incident, the rail services between Brahmapur and Bhubaneswar were affected for seven hours on the busy route, East Cost Railway (ECoR) sources said.

Following the incident, State Forest and Environment Minister Bijayshree Routray called an urgent meeting with senior Railway officials on Monday to discuss on the rising jumbo death issue in the State. If needed, he would bring to the matter to the notice of Chief Minister to take appropriate action to check the problem, Routray added.

For the first time in the history of the State, six elephants died at a time in train mishap. In the month of June this year, a female elephant was killed in the same train accident near Subalaya village. Earlier on August 15, four jumbos were killed in train mishap in Keonjhar district while crossing railway track.

It may be noted that 12 elephants were killed in the district within three months due to various reasons, while 11 elephants were killed due to the train accident in the State this year. The State has already seen the death of 252 pachyderms in the State during 2009 and this August, official sources said.