Nandankanan:Bhubaneswar, (Reporterspen) Oct 16: An injured elephant calf, which survived a tragic train accident in the Bandhamunda area of Rourkela, was tranquilized and transported to Nandankanan Zoological Park (NZP) in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday for medical treatment. The critically injured calf was loaded onto a special truck and transferred to the zoo for care.
The accident occurred on Monday night when a goods train hit a herd of 26 elephants crossing the Howrah-Mumbai main line near Rourkela around 9:30 pm. While one elephant calf was killed instantly, two others were injured. Forest officials are now trying to locate another injured calf that strayed into a nearby forest near Bondamunda.
The mishap, which took place in the Bisra range of the Rourkela forest division, is believed to have resulted from a communication gap between the Forest Department and South Eastern Railway (SER). Although the SER control room at Bondamunda had been alerted about the herd’s presence, and forest officials were guiding the animals across the tracks, a goods train on a parallel line failed to stop. One train halted to allow the herd to pass, but the arriving goods train continued, resulting in the accident, according to Regional Chief Conservator of Forests (RCCF) P. Ramaswamy.
The Rourkela forest division has arrested an Assistant Loco Pilot (ALP) in connection with the incident, and an investigation is underway to determine the cause of the communication breakdown.
