14 DAY TRIAL // A speeding train has killed four elephants in eastern India. The animals were merely crossing the railroad tracks when the passenger train hit them.
The incident occurred yesterday in Jalpaiguri district, the largest district of North Bengal.
Following the accident, local authorities were forced to close down the railroad tracks. They say that this measure was needed in order to properly dispose of the animals' corpses.
Daily Mail reports that several other elephants that were part of the same herd as these four refused to abandon their dead, and stuck around to guard their bodies.
Of the four elephants that died in this horrific accident, two were females and one was a calf. These three died at the scene, witnesses told the press.
The fourth one reportedly passed away several hours later because of the severity of its injuries.
Villagers living nearby agreed to lend authorities a helping hand in clearing the railroad tracks and dealing with the animals' bodies.
By the looks of it, one of the elephants was so big that a crane had to be brought to the scene so as to lift it from the ground and clear the tracks.
It is to be expected that an investigation into this incident will soon follow. For the time being, information shared with the public says that the train conductor is not to blame, and that it was all an unfortunate accident.
Thus, it appears that the elephants found themselves outside the areas they are known to usually inhabit.
What's more, officials working with the local forest department were unaware of the fact that this heard had stepped outside this state's elephant corridor and did not warn railway employees to keep an eye open for these elephants.
This is not the first time when elephants in India get killed by a speeding train.
Conservationists say that, given the frequency of these incidents, train conductors would do best to lower their speeds when passing through areas populated by these animals.