COIMBATORE: A tusker suffered severe injuries after it was hit by a speeding train in Madukkarai forest range of the Coimbatore forest division in the early hours of Monday. Veterinarians were trying to revive the elephant aged around 25 years, forest department officials said.
The officials said that the elephant was walking on the railway track around 1.20am. The loco pilot of the Thiruvananthapuram- Chennai express train noticed the elephant and applied brakes. However, the train hit the elephant which was thrown off the track. The loco pilot informed the forest department about the incident.
Frontline personnel of the forest department rushed to the spot and found the elephant struggling for life. Forest veterinarians also reached the spot and administered medicines to the elephant.
Veterinarians told forest department officials that the elephant had suffered severe injuries on its hip. The elephant was not able to move the hind legs. The left tusk of the elephant was broken.