Keonjhar: Two more elephants injured in the train mishap near Joda of Keonjhar district succumbed to their injuries on Friday, taking the death toll to three.
Yesterday a calf that had sustained injuries had died.
Three elephants were seriously injured after being hit by a train near Joda on Thursday evening. The mishap took place near Banspani Behera Hatting, around 70 km from here. Sources said a herd of 22 elephants was crossing the railway track when a train carrying iron ore hit the jumbos. A female elephant and two calves sustained grievous injuries in the incident.
Following the mishap, the elephant herd became aggressive preventing forest personnel from carrying out any rescue operation.
Locals blamed forest officials for the mishap. For the last one week, the elephant herd was camping in nearby forests. The herd was recently spotted in Bichakundi forest near Champua range. Sources said the elephants were frequently on the move due to widespread deforestation and mining activities in the region.
