In a tragic incident early Saturday, a high-speed passenger train in northeastern India collided with a herd of elephants, resulting in the deaths of seven elephants and leaving a calf injured.

The Rajdhani Express, a train carrying approximately 650 passengers, was traversing through Assam when the driver noticed a group of around 100 wild Asiatic elephants crossing the tracks. In a bid to prevent a disaster, the driver engaged the emergency brakes.

Unfortunately, despite these efforts, the train was unable to halt in time and struck several of these endangered creatures, as reported by The Associated Press.

Images from the scene reveal somber passengers observing as the carcass of an Asiatic wild elephant was carefully removed from the railway tracks in Changjurai village, located east of Guwahati, India. This tragic event underscores the ongoing conflict between wildlife and human infrastructure in the region.

The collision had significant consequences for the train itself, causing the engine and five of its coaches to derail, disrupting travel and raising concerns about the safety of both wildlife and passengers on such routes.

None of the train’s passengers, who were traveling from Sairang in Mizoram state to New Delhi, were harmed in the incident, the AP reported.

“We delinked the coaches which were not derailed, and the train resumed its journey for New Delhi,” Indian Railways spokesman Kapinjal Kishore Sharma told the AP. “Around 200 passengers who were in the five derailed coaches have been moved to Guwahati in a different train.”

Railway staff, workers and police restore train service after a herd was struck by the Sairang-New Delhi Rajdhani Express in Hojai District, Assam, Saturday.  (Anuwar Hazarika/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Veterinarians later conducted necropsies on the elephants. 

They were scheduled to be buried later in the day Saturday, according to the AP.

A herd of wild elephants gathers near a field in search of food in Nagaon district, Assam, India, Nov. 21, 2025.  (Anuwar Hazarika/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Assam is home to an estimated 7,000 wild Asiatic elephants, and train-related deaths have been an ongoing issue. 

At least a dozen elephants have been killed on railway tracks in the state since 2020, AP reported.

Asiatic elephants are considered endangered, and there are only an estimated 30,000 to 50,000 left in the wild, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.