Nagaon/ Guwahati, 20 Dec

Seven elephants were killed, and one was injured after a herd of jumbos was hit by the Sairang-New Delhi Rajdhani Express in Assam's Hojai district early Saturday, officials said.

Five coaches and the train's engine also derailed, they said.

Initially, all eight elephants were reported to have been killed, though later it was said that one of the calves was found injured.

No passengers were injured in the accident, which occurred at 2.17 am, they said.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has asked the Forest department to conduct a detailed enquiry and secure wildlife corridors, while state Congress president Gaurav Gogoi blamed "unplanned and poorly regulated development under the present government" for the accident.

Top Forest department officers have reached the site and will take up the matter with Railway officials to prevent recurrence of such incidents.

Several trains have been cancelled, regulated or short-terminated following the mishap.

Nagaon Divisional Forest Officer Suhas Kadam told PTI that the accident in Changjurai village is suspected to have occurred due to heavy fog in the area.

"Autopsy of the dead jumbos is underway, and treatment is on for the injured one by local veterinary doctors. Cremation will be done near the accident site. Legal formalities are being followed," he said.

NFR chief spokesperson Kapinjal Kishore Sharma said the accident took place in the Jamunamukh-Kampur section under the Lumding division, about 126 km from Guwahati.

The Sairang-New Delhi Rajdhani Express connects Mizoram's Sairang (near Aizawl) to the Anand Vihar Terminal in Delhi.

He claimed that the accident took place at a location which is not a designated elephant corridor. "The train driver, on observing the herd of elephants, applied emergency brakes. However, the jumbos dashed with the train," he added.

Sharma said accident relief trains and top officials, including the NFR general manager and the divisional railway manager of Lumding, reached the site soon after the mishap.

Helpline numbers -- 0361-2731621 / 2731622 / 2731623 -- have been activated at Guwahati railway station, he added.

The NFR spokesperson said the passengers of the affected coaches were temporarily accommodated in the vacant berths available in other compartments, and the train, without the derailed coaches, left the site for Guwahati at 6.11 am.

The passengers will be accommodated in additional coaches, which will be added to the train at Guwahati, and the train will resume its journey after that, he said.

Trains scheduled to pass through the affected section have been diverted through the UP line, and restoration work is underway, Sharma added.

He further said that nine trains have been cancelled, 13 regulated, and two short-terminated following the accident.

Rangiya New Tinsukia Express, Guwahati Jorhat Town Jan Shatabdi Express, Guwahati-Badarpur Vistadome Express, and New Tinsukia Rangiya Express are among the cancelled trains.

Train No 15769 (Alipurduar-Mariani) will be short-terminated at Digaru and will remain cancelled between Digaru-Mariani, and 15770 (Mariani -Alipurduar) will be short originated from Digaru and will remain cancelled between Mariani-Digaru for the day.

Among the trains regulated are Sealdah-Sabroom Kanchanjunga Express, Dibrugarh-New Delhi Rajdhani Express, Dibrugarh-Kanyakumari Vivek Express, and New Tinsukia-SMVT Bengaluru Express, Sharma added.

Meanwhile, the chief minister ordered a thorough enquiry into the accident.

"We are deeply saddened by the death of seven elephants - three adults and four calves - in a tragic train collision earlier today," he said in a post on X.

"I have directed the Forest department to conduct a detailed enquiry on this deeply disturbing accident and take steps to further secure our wildlife corridors, particularly during low visibility seasons," Sarma added.

Assam Environment and Forest Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary, also in a post in the social media site, said the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) and Head of Forest Force, Assam, and the PCCF (Wildlife) and Chief Wildlife Warden, Assam, have reached the accident site to take stock of the situation and initiate necessary measures.

"The PCCF & HoFF, Assam, and PCCF (Wildlife) & CWW, Assam have been directed to take up the matter with the senior-most officials of Indian Railways to prevent the recurrence of such tragic incidents in the future," he said.

State Congress president Gaurav Gogoi said the death of the jumbos is "deeply concerning and underscores the growing challenge of human animal conflict in the state".

In a post on X, he maintained that such incidents point to the "rapid loss and fragmentation of natural habitats in recent years".

"Unplanned and poorly regulated development under the present government has led to shrinking forest cover and the disruption of traditional migration routes, with little regard for ecological safeguards," Gogoi said.

He claimed that lack of foresight and accountability has made such accidents increasingly frequent.

"Development policies must prioritise people, communities, and the environment over short-term profits. Ignoring this balance only deepens the ecological damage and social costs for Assam," Gogoi added.