COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — A prepare carrying hundreds of gallons of gas hit a herd of untamed elephants in northeast Sri Lanka, killing two of the large mammals and injuring one different as two of its tankers received derailed, authorities mentioned.

The collision occurred within the city of Minneriya — about 200 kilometers (124 miles) from the capital, Colombo — famend for its nature park and wildlife.

The prepare driver instructed The Related Press that the herd of almost 20 elephants instantly tried to cross over the railway monitor Friday.

“There was about 10 meters (32 ft) between us. So, we couldn’t do something. We pressed the breaks to their most capability, however there was nothing a lot we might do. At the least 4 elephants had been knocked down.” N.W. Jayalath mentioned.

The prepare had eight tankers — 5 carrying diesel and one other three petrol, every with a capability of fifty,000 liters (about 132,000 gallons), Jayalath mentioned. Two of the petrol tankers received derailed, inflicting a major leakage and severely damaging railway tracks and forcing authorities to droop the prepare companies on that line, he added.

The prepare compartment harboring the conductor additionally received derailed. The prepare additionally had two different railway personnel in addition to the motive force. Not one of the 4 had been injured.

“That is the primary time I noticed this type of incident,” V.J. Jackson, a Minneriya resident, mentioned. “We got here right here after listening to the honking of the prepare and the screaming of the elephants. We noticed elephants mendacity in all places and the prepare had derailed.”

Hasini Sarathchandra, the publicity officer of the wildlife division mentioned the 2 elephants had been killed on web site whereas the injured one was handled and launched again to its herd.

Minneriya Nationwide Park attracts hundreds of vacationers every year hoping to see elephants of their wild habitats. It’s a part of the “elephant hall that connects Kaudulla and Wasgamuwa Nationwide parks” which permits for elephant sightings year-round.

Although elephants are revered within the Indian Ocean island nation, they’re endangered with their numbers dwindling from about 14,000 within the nineteenth century to six,000 in 2011, in accordance with the nation’s first elephant census.

Elephant-train collisions have gone up lately in Sri Lanka, with wild elephants trying to cross over railway tracks in quest of meals and water. They’re more and more susceptible due to the loss and degradation of their pure habitat and lots of enterprise nearer to human settlements in quest of meals. Some are killed by poachers or farmers offended over injury to their crops.

In accordance with the federal government statistics, seven elephants have died this 12 months after being knocked down by trains whereas 24 died in 2023.