Overview
- Officials confirmed seven elephant deaths and one injured after the Sairang–New Delhi Rajdhani hit a herd around 2:17 a.m. on the Jamunamukh–Kampur section in Assam’s Hojai/Nagaon district, derailing the locomotive and five coaches at a site not designated as an elephant corridor.
- No passenger injuries were reported; affected travelers were shifted to other coaches, helplines were activated in Guwahati, and the train continued to the city after the damaged coaches were detached.
- Rail traffic was disrupted with diversions and ongoing restoration, and the Northeast Frontier Railway said nine trains were cancelled, 13 regulated and two short-terminated on the route.
- Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma ordered a detailed enquiry as forest teams conducted autopsies and prepared cremations; veterinarians treated an injured calf taken to a rehabilitation centre near Kaziranga, which a vet described as critical.
- NFR said the loco pilot applied emergency brakes on spotting the herd and a forest officer cited heavy fog as a suspected factor, while conservation groups urged tighter ground coordination and faster deployment of early-warning and detection systems.