Sri Lanka Police shared sad news on Facebook, saying at least six elephants died after a passenger train collided with a herd of wild elephants on the track. Two other elephants were injured in the accident, but some news outlets are reporting a total of seven elephants died, suggesting one of the injured did not make it.
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The police report says the train involved was the Meenagaya train, which runs from Battakalapuwa to Colombo. The train was about a kilometer away from the Galoya railway station when the accident occurred. No train passengers sustained injuries, according to the post.
Local news outlets are reporting that the train driver’s certification was expired, calling this a “tragic” accident. ADA derana also calls train collisions with elephants a “longstanding problem” in Sri Lanka.
See the police’s post about the collision that killed at least six wild elephants here:
See footage here (graphic images are blurred out):