Overview
- Authorities said the high‑speed passenger train struck a crossing herd about 125 kilometers southeast of Guwahati, killing seven wild Asian elephants and leaving a calf injured.
- The driver applied emergency brakes before impact, and the collision derailed the locomotive and five coaches with no injuries reported among passengers.
- Indian Railways uncoupled undamaged coaches to resume the journey toward New Delhi, and roughly 200 passengers from the derailed coaches were taken to Guwahati on another train.
- Rail officials stated the site is not a designated elephant corridor, and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma ordered a Forest Department investigation after expressing regret over the deaths.
- Assam hosts an estimated 7,000 wild Asian elephants, and at least a dozen have been killed by high‑speed trains since 2020, with seasonal movements during rice harvests increasing track crossings.