Seven elephants killed in India after passenger train collides with herd
December 20, 2025 / 7:03 AM EST / CBS/AP
TL;DR
- Seven wild Asiatic elephants were killed, and one calf was injured when a high-speed passenger train hit them in Assam, India.
- The train driver applied emergency brakes upon spotting the herd of about 100 elephants, but the train still struck some animals.
- Five train coaches and the engine derailed due to the impact, with no human casualties reported.
- The accident occurred in a forested area, and although the location was not a designated elephant corridor, railway tracks in Assam are frequently used by elephants.
- This incident highlights a recurring problem in Assam, where an estimated 7,000 wild Asiatic elephants reside, with at least a dozen killed by trains since 2020.
- Recent efforts to mitigate such accidents include initiatives like an elephant hospital and an AI-powered surveillance system in other parts of India.