A train carrying oil tankers collided with a herd of wild elephants in eastern Sri Lanka. According to "Armenpress", the Daily Mirror reports about it.
The incident took place in the early morning of October 18 on the Batticaloa-Colombo line. As a result of the collision, two elephants fell and several animals were injured. The locomotive and four tankers full of oil derailed, two of which overturned. Train traffic has been stopped, it will take several days to eliminate the consequences of the accident.
Although elephants are considered wild in Sri Lanka and are protected by law, about 200 elephants are killed annually in the country, mostly as a result of collisions with trains and killings by villagers protecting their land from animal attacks.
About 50 Sri Lankans die each year from elephant attacks on houses built near the animals' habitats. According to the authorities, there are about 7,000 elephants in Sri Lanka.
