7 elephants killed, 1 injured in India train collision

Seven elephants were killed and one was injured after a passenger train hit a herd in the northeastern Indian state of Assam, officials said on Saturday.

The incident took place at the state's Hojai town early Saturday morning, which also led to some of the carriages of the Sairang-New Delhi Rajdhani Express getting derailed, railway officials said.

"The loco pilot spotted a herd of about 100 elephants crossing the railway tracks. He applied the emergency brakes, but some elephants were struck by the train," Kapinjal Kishore Sharma, a railway official said, adding that the incident happened at around 2.30 am local time (2000GMT).

Officials said that no passengers were injured in the incident.

Suhash Kadam, a forest official, said the incident is suspected to have occurred due to heavy fog in the area, Press Trust of India reported.

The official said "autopsy of the seven dead jumbos is underway," while the injured one is under treatment by veterinary doctors.