Palakkad (Kerala): A wild female elephant died after being hit by an express train while crossing the railway track at Kottekad along with her herd. This is the second such incident at the same crossing with a month.
According to forest officials, the incident took place Monday around 11 pm, when the herd of elephants were crossing the railway track at Pannimada near Kottekad in Valayar-Kanjikode railway stretch.
The elephant herd entered the Kunupully and Arakode populated area near the Kottekad railway station searching for drinking water at night amid severe heat conditions across the peninsula.
The Thiruvanthapuram-Chennai express hit one jumbo from the rear side and led to severe injury on her head and rear side. The impact hurled the jumbo into a pit nearby. The other elephants ran away in panic.
The train was halted around 20 minutes and forest officials led by Valayar range officer Muhammedali Jinna rushed to the spot.
The injured jumbo succumbed to injuries around 2 am on Tuesday. The Forest Department registered a case against the loco pilot of the train.
It was on April 13, when a 30-year-old wild female elephant had similarly succumbed to injuries after being hit a goods train on April 10 at Kottekad in Palakkad-Coimbatore railway line, while crossing the railway track by a herd of elephants.
The jumbo's hind leg suffered serious injuries and was unable to move. The forest officials provided life saving medicines and foods and water from April 11, but she died on April 13.
