2 female elephants run over by goods train

Bhubaneswar,Sep 19(UNI) Two female elephants were killed and another tusker was injured while a calf escaped unhurt when a goods train ran over them near Jurundi under Joda police station in Keonjhar district last night.

Forest officials on being informed about the tragic incident, rushed to the site this morning and conducted a post mortem before cremating the two female pachyderms in the nearby forest.

Keonjhar Divisional Forest Officer(DFO) T R Karat said the forest officials rescued the calf and brought it to the forest camp for necessary treatment.

He said a herd of four elephants, comprising two elephants, a tusker and a calf, was walking on the track when the goods train hit them killing the two female elephants on the spot.The injured tusker, however, disappeared into the forest leaving the calf at the accident site.

The calf, Mr Karat said, would be sent to Nandankanan Zoo in Bhubaneswar.

UNI