Elephant, two calves killed in Odisha train hit

BHUBANESWAR/JAMSHEDPUR : Two more elephants, which had been hit by a train near Behera in Keonjhar district of Odisha, succumbed to their injuries, raising the death toll in the Thursday evening train accident to three — mother and two calves.
Officials said they were part of a herd of 20 elephants. A goods train mowed down the elephants while they were crossing the tracks. A calf died on the spot while another calf and the mother were injured. As other elephants had surrounded them, forest and veterinary officials could not muster courage to go near and start treatment. On Friday morning, the two elephants were dead, said a wildlife officer.
Sources said despite repeated accidents claiming lives of animals, steps to check train-hit incidents have always been inadequate. In the past 12 years, 36 elephants have died in train hits with the highest — 11 — in a year in 2012.