At Mahendramedu near Navakkarai in Coimbatore district, three female elephants aged 12, 18, and 25 were killed when they were hit by the Mangalore-Chennai Express. On Friday night, the incident took place. The elephants were struck while crossing the A-Line between Walayar and Madukkarai sections near Marappalam thottam.
One elephant was recovered on the track, while the other two appeared to have been flung off and onto the ground below. The loco pilot brought the train to a halt and notified the Southern Railway’s Palakkad division, which notified the forest authorities. The train was stopped for a few hours at Walayar with the passengers before continuing.
“The railroads could issue directions to its loco pilots on the probable sites where elephant herds are likely to breach the track,” Sunil Menon, an environmentalist and wildlife student from Palakkad told IANS. “The forest department may provide valuable insights on this.” Three elephants perished in this manner, which is quite tragic, and there must be a solid agreement between the Union environment and forest ministry and the Indian Railways on this issue across the country.”
