Two elephants were mowed down by a speeding passenger train as they were crossing the railway tracks near the Uthanapalli forest area in Krishnagiri district at 6.30 am on Monday. While none of the passengers, headed to Bangalore from Dharmapauri, suffered injuries, the engine was partially damaged, railway sources said.
In the impact, the tusker was thrown 500 ft away from the tracks, while the female elephant was crushed under the wheels and dragged to a distance of more than 200 ft.
The accident occurred when a herd of 40 elephants, roaming the Odethurgam reserve forest in Hosur taluk, was crossing the tracks. “Almost all elephants in the herd managed to cross the tracks, except the two. They were killed instantly when the Dharmapuri-Bangalore passenger hit them,” Krishnagiri district forest officer A K Ulaganathan said. He said herds normally enter Tamil Nadu from Karnataka near the Sanamavu reserve forest area.
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