Ten elephants killed and four injured by trains in 2022

BY PRIYAN DE SILVA

Minister of Transport, Highways and Mass Media, Dr. Bandula Gunawardane says 10 elephants have been killed and four injured by trains in 2022.Three elephants died yesterday after being knocked down by the ‘Pulatisi Express’ intercity train which was on its way from Batticaloa to Colombo. The train was derailed, disrupting railway services on the line.

Minister Gunawardane said that out of the 10 such incidents in 2022, eight had happened on the Batticaloa line, while one each was reported on the Trincomalee and Northern lines.

The Minister said that the Departments of Railways and Wildlife were discussing remedial measures to prevent elephants being run over by trains and also requested the public to call hotline 1971 and inform authorities if they see elephants moving towards the railway tracks.