4 Baby Elephants Among 6 Killed After Passenger Train Collides with Wandering Herd: Reports

Mar. 15, 2025

At least half a dozen wild elephants were killed after a passenger train collided with them in Sri Lanka, according to local officials.

The Sri Lankan Police announced in aFacebook postthat one of its Meenagaya trains — which had run from the eastern coastal city of Batticaloa to the country’s capital Colombo — had derailed after colliding with eight elephants on Wednesday, Feb. 19.

Wounded elephants are pictured beside a derailed train which killed six animals at Habarana in eastern Sri Lanka on February 20, 2025.AFP via Getty

AFP via Getty

Hasini Sarathchandra, a spokesman for the government’s wildlife department, told theAssociated Press(AP) that four of the dead elephants were babies and two were adults.

Sarathchandra also noted that the area where the train derailed is renowned for its nature park and said the government’s wildlife department was investigating.

Police and railway personnel examine a derailed train at Habarana in eastern Sri Lanka on February 20, 2025, which killed six elephants.AFP via Getty

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Wild elephants crossing a main road near Habarana, Anuradhapura District, Sri Lanka, Asia.Geography Photos/Universal Images Group via Getty

Geography Photos/Universal Images Group via Getty

The outlet also reported that the incident happened at night, at around 11:30 p.m.

“Sri Lanka elephants are protected under the Sri Lankan law and killing one carries the death penalty,” the WWF noted on its website.

The incident comes a few months after another train collision in October killed at least two elephants in northwest Sri Lanka in the town of Minneriya, according to an AP report.

Minneriya National Park, where the train collision occurred, is “home to the world’s largest known gathering of Asian elephants.” It is also “part of the elephant corridor” that connects two other national parks and enables visitors to see “elephant herds” all year in the area, according to the park’swebsite.

source: people.com