GUWAHATI, May 8 - An elephant was hit by the 15614 Lachit Express at a spot between Boginadi and Gogamukh railway stations under Rangiya Division of Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) last night.
However, the elephant seems to have avoided sustaining any serious injuries, as per details provided by the NFR.
�The train was at slower than normal speed as the area is a notified elephant corridor and drivers had already been given Caution Order to drive at 45 km per hour and be on the lookout for elephant movements. The elephant appeared suddenly on the railway track and the loco pilot of the train had to apply emergency brake. The driver was able to stop the train in 15 seconds within a distance of 108 meters but the train slightly dashed with the elephant,� said Pranav Jyoti Sharma, Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) of NFR.
He added, �The assistant loco pilot of the train got down from the engine and checked the area nearby the track for the elephant. He reported seeing the elephant running away towards the nearby jungle. The loco pilot and the assistant loco pilot had no prior information regarding elephant movements from the State Forest officials or villagers. However, they had the presence of mind to apply emergency brake and controlled the situation.�
Sharma said that NFR has taken various initiatives to avoid train-elephant collision, including installation of laser speed radar gun to detect over speeding cases in elephant zones.
