Two wild elephants killed by train in Sri Lanka as fuel tankers derail

A train has killed two elephants after ploughing into them as they roamed onto tracks near a wildlife park in Sri Lanka .

The collision happened in the town of Minneriya just over 100 miles north of the capital Colombo.

The train driver told The Associated Press that the herd of nearly 20 elephants suddenly tried to cross over the railway track Friday.

Mr Jayalath said: "There was about 10 metres between us. So, we couldn't do anything. We pressed the breaks to their maximum capacity, but there was nothing much we could do. At least four elephants were knocked down."

The train had eight tankers - five carrying diesel and another three petrol, each with a capacity of 50,000 litres.

Two of the petrol tankers got derailed, causing a significant leakage and severely damaging railway tracks and forcing authorities to suspend the train services on that line, the driver said

The train compartment harbouring the conductor also got derailed. The train also had two other railway personnel besides the driver. None of the four were injured.

Hasini Sarathchandra, the publicity officer of the wildlife department said the two elephants were killed on site while the injured one was treated and released back to its herd.

Minneriya National Park draws thousands of tourists each year hoping to see elephants in their wild habitats. It is part of the "elephant corridor that connects Kaudulla and Wasgamuwa National parks" which allows for elephant sightings year-round.

Though elephants are revered in the Indian Ocean island nation, they are endangered with their numbers dwindling from about 14,000 in the 19th century to 6,000 in 2011, according to the country's first elephant census.

Elephant-train collisions have gone up in recent years in Sri Lanka, with wild elephants attempting to cross over railway tracks in search of food and water. They are increasingly vulnerable because of the loss and degradation of their natural habitat and many venture closer to human settlements in search of food. Some are killed by poachers or farmers angry over damage to their crops.

According to the government statistics, seven elephants have died this year after being knocked down by trains while 24 died in 2023.

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