Passenger train derails after hitting elephant

A passenger train has derailed on Monday evening between Sevoke and Gulma railway stations on the outskirts of Siliguri after hitting a wild elephant.

The elephant, which has got trapped under the train’s engine, is feared dead but an official confirmation is yet to arrive.

The incident took place around 7.10 pm when the DEMU passenger train from Dinhata in Cooch Behar district was passing through the Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary. The train was bound for Siliguri Junction.

While moving along the rail tracks that pass through dense forest between Sevoke and Gulma, the train hit a wild elephant that was crossing over from one side of the tracks to the other. As a result, the front wheel of the train engine got derailed, bringing it to a grinding halt.

The elephant remained trapped under the wheels till 9.30 pm. Northeast Frontier Railway spokesperson Pranav Jyoti Sharma said that an accident relief train from New Jalpaiguri has been sent to the derailment site.

Due to this derailment, several trains that ply via between Assam and rest of the country via Dooars have been diverted through the alternative route that runs via Jalpaiguri.

This was the second incident after November 22 when a full-grown elephant was mowed down by a train off Alipurduar Junction railway station.