Two elephants were killed and another suffered injuries after being hit by a goods train at Khalaigram near Dhupguri, around 45km from Jalpaiguri, early on Sunday.

According to forest officials, the impact of the collision that took place around 4am on Sunday killed a full-grown tusker on the spot. One of the injured elephants was taken to Gorumara National Park. The other managed to enter the nearby Moraghat forest and was being tracked by a team of the Binnaguri wildlife squad. Its carcass was discovered by foresters late in the evening.

Residents rushed to the spot soon after the incident. They said the tusker, after being struck by the train, moved about 200 metres before collapsing and dying.

“I heard a loud noise and ran out. An elephant had been hit by a train. It moved away a little and died soon. Another elephant was also injured,” said Faridul Islam, who witnessed the aftermath.

Basanta Roy, a local, was injured after he crossed paths with one of the wounded elephants. The animal shoved him with its trunk. He was admitted to Jalpaiguri Superspeciality Hospital.

Forest teams from various ranges of the Jalpaiguri and Gorumara wildlife divisions arrived shortly. After six hours, the elephant lying beside the tracks was lifted onto a tractor trolley with a hydraulic crane.

Railway traffic inspector Shuvendu Roy said: “We reached the spot after receiving the information. Two trains had to be halted immediately to undertake rescue operations.”

Bikash V, divisional forest officer of the Jalpaiguri forest division, said a herd of elephants had entered Dhupguri from Mekhliganj in Cooch Behar district a few days ago.

“A full-grown tusker died after being hit by a goods train. A makna (a tuskless male elephant) and another tusker were injured. The makna was rescued by our team and taken to Gorumara for treatment. The other injured jumbo crossed the Gilandi river embankment and moved into Moraghat forest,” the DFO said.

The forest official added that dense fog and the fact that the accident site falls outside the recognised elephant corridor meant the train was travelling at a high speed. “An investigation has been initiated,” he added.

In restricted zones inside the forest, the speed limit for trains is between 20-30 kmph.

A forest department source said the herd of five elephants had wandered out of Dalgaon forest in Birpara last Friday.

The source mentioned that forest teams from both Jalpaiguri and Cooch Behar districts were trying to drive them back into the forest for the past two days.

Locals alleged poor coordination between the forest and railway departments. “The presence of the elephants was known to both the departments,” alleged Mosaraf Hussain, a resident.

The DFO reiterated that low visibility and the location were factors contributing to the collision.