A catastrophic accident unfolded in Assam early Saturday morning when the New Delhi-Dibrugarh Rajdhani Express (Train No. 12424) collided with a herd of wild elephants, resulting in the instant death of at least seven elephants and the derailment of five passenger coaches. The incident occurred around 3:30 AM in the heavily forested stretch near the Deepor Beel wildlife sanctuary, approximately 15 kilometers west of Guwahati.
Devastating Impact: Seven Elephants Killed
Railway officials and forest department personnel confirmed the tragic loss of seven elephants, including two calves. The sheer force of the collision left the animals dismembered and scattered along the tracks. Local villagers, who rushed to the scene after hearing the massive impact, described a harrowing sight of destruction.
"We heard a terrible screeching sound and then a huge crash," recounted a local resident from a nearby village. "By the time we got there, it was clear many elephants had been hit. It's heartbreaking."
The Deepor Beel area is a known elephant corridor, and despite numerous appeals from wildlife activists, adequate measures to prevent such collisions have been a persistent challenge for railway authorities.
Train Derailment and Passenger Safety
The impact also caused significant damage to the premium Rajdhani Express. Five coaches—including two AC First Class, two AC Two-Tier, and one AC Three-Tier coach—went off the tracks. Fortunately, railway authorities confirmed that no human casualties or serious injuries have been reported among the passengers.
#WATCH | Maligaon, Assam | Loco pilot applied emergency brakes and stopped the train. Restoration work completed and no injuries have occurred: Kapinjal Kishore Sharma, Chief Public Relations Officer of the Northeast Frontier Railway.
— ANI (@ANI) December 20, 2025
(Visuals from the spot)
(Source: Northeast… https://t.co/n9mzFHUKZM pic.twitter.com/jvhTNmgl3F
"Our immediate priority was the safety of the passengers," said a spokesperson for Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR). "Rescue teams were dispatched immediately, and all passengers are being safely evacuated. Arrangements are being made for their onward journey."
Initial reports suggest the train driver applied emergency brakes, but the herd appeared suddenly on the tracks in the dense fog and darkness, leaving insufficient time to avert the collision.
Ongoing Investigation and Conservation Concerns
NFR has launched a high-level inquiry into the incident. The focus will be on assessing the circumstances leading to the collision, including visibility conditions, train speed, and the effectiveness of existing elephant protection measures along the route.
This tragedy highlights the ongoing human-wildlife conflict in Assam, a state rich in biodiversity but increasingly challenged by habitat fragmentation and expanding infrastructure. Conservationists have long advocated for better elephant underpasses, stricter speed limits in notified corridors, and enhanced early warning systems to prevent such devastating events.
