Tragic Collision: Six Elephants Perish in Sri Lanka Train Accident

The train accident near Habarana, Sri Lanka, emphasizes the tragic interactions between humans and elephants, as six elephants lost their lives. The incident raises concerns about wildlife safety and human-elephant conflicts, which have become increasingly common in the region.

A passenger train derailed after striking a herd of elephants near a wildlife reserve in central Sri Lanka in the early hours of Thursday. While no injuries were reported among passengers, six elephants died from the accident in Habarana, east of the capital Colombo. Two injured elephants were being treated, police said, noting that it was the worst such wildlife accident the country had seen, according to AFP.

It is not uncommon for trains to run into herds of elephants in Sri Lanka, where casualties on both sides of human-elephant encounters are among the highest in the world. Last year, more than 170 people and nearly 500 elephants were killed in human-elephant encounters overall—approximately 20 elephants are killed by trains annually, as reported by local media.

The increasing number of incidents is due to elephants straying into human activity areas caused by the loss of their natural habitats through deforestation and a reduction in available resources. To mitigate these tragic occurrences, some advocates have called for train drivers to slow down and use train horns as a warning device when approaching areas known to be frequented by elephants.

In 2018, a pregnant elephant and its two calves suffered a similar fate in Habarana after being struck by a train while crossing the tracks at dawn. Just last October, another train collided with a herd in Minneriya, approximately 25km (15 miles) away from Habarana, resulting in the deaths of two elephants, along with one being injured.

In Sri Lanka, there are an estimated 7,000 wild elephants, which hold a prominent place in the culture of its Buddhist majority and are protected by law. Under the current legal framework, it is a crime that carries imprisonment or fines for killing an elephant.