A female elephant was critically injured after being hit by a train while crossing the tracks near Sagara railway station under Chakradharpur Division of South Eastern Railway in Sundargarh district yesterday.
The collision occurred between Sonakhan and Sagara stations at pole number 453/23 and 25 on the up line, within Bamra block.
Forest and railway officials immediately launched a rescue operation. The elephant, found writhing in pain on the tracks, was loaded onto a freight train using a crane for transportation to Sagara for medical treatment. Unfortunately, the elephant succumbed to its injuries after traveling approximately 500 meters.
The incident drew swift response from forest officials across Sambalpur and Sundargarh districts, including DFO Vikramdev Pattnaik, ACF Alok Sadangi, Reshma Lakra, Ranger Deepak Mahananda, and several other personnel from Sonakhan and Bamra ranges. Railway officials also joined the rescue efforts.
Train movement on both up and down lines was temporarily halted, with operations rerouted to the third line. Post-mortem of the elephant is scheduled at Sagara, followed by burial nearby.
