Title - Jumbo crushed under speeding train

An elephant was run over by a speeding train at Sagadapada, near Nilakantheswar railway station, 60 km from Keonjhar district headquarters town.

Sources said a herd of elephants was crossing the railway tracks at about 4.30 am when a goods train run over one of the elephants killing it on the spot.

Following the incident, Puri-Chakradharpur Intercity Express was delayed by two hours.

Senior personnel of the Railway Department and Accident Rescue Team (ART) from Bhadrak rushed to the spot.

Keonjhar DFO, Ajaya Kumar Jena alleged that it was due to the negligence of the goods train driver that the mishap occurred.

The incident comes two months after five elephants were run over by Coromandel Express in Subalaya in Ganjam district.

Elephants Stray into Dairy Farm

Rourkela: A herd of elephants from Kuanrmunda range of Rourkela forest division strayed into the Livestock Breeding and Dairy farm at Kuanrmunda on Wednesday midnight leaving the employees and their families panicked.

Forest officials said the herd consisted of 12 elephants  including three calves. They demolished boundary walls of a couple of houses and the elephant calves entered the house of one Tukuna Biswal. Biswal and his family members escaped unhurt. The herd also damaged standing vegetable and banana crops before leaving.