Colombo, Oct 18 (PTI) Two elephants were killed after a fuel train carrying at least 1 lakh litres of petrol derailed after colliding with a herd of pachyderms in eastern Sri Lanka on Friday.
Train services on the Batticaloa-Colombo main line have been totally disrupted.
The train from Colombo to the eastern town of Batticaloa struck the herd between 3 am and 3:30 am between Minneriya and Higurakgoda railway stations, 100-odd km northeast of Colombo.
“We saw a bunch of about 10 wild elephants on the track. We couldn’t do much other than applying the breaks,” engine driver MW Jayalath told reporters.
A total of four fuel tanks derailed, of which two tanks carrying 50,000 litres petrol each were thrown off, causing a spill.
While two elephants died, several others were injured, news portal Adaderana.lk reported.
The track is located near an elephant corridor, according to wildlife officials.
The derailed train blocked the track, which is yet to be cleared, railway officials said. The derailment has also severely damaged the railway track, local media said.
Train services on the Batticaloa-Colombo main line have been completely halted and the trains scheduled to travel from Colombo Fort to Batticaloa and vice versa have been cancelled, railway officials said. PTI CORR GRS NPK NPK
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