A compartment of the Guwahati-Dibrugarh Intercity Express derailed in Assam’s Jorhat district early on Wednesday after the train hit an elephant, PTI reported. The animal died in the accident, which occurred between Titabor and Mariani stations. Passengers were not hurt.

The police said the incident occurred around 4.30 am when a herd of elephants was trying to cross the railway track at Letekujan, 311 km east of state capital Guwahati, the Hindustan Times reported. Train services were affected for more than three hours while the railway staff put the derailed coach back on track.

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Senior officials of the Tinsukia division of Northeast Frontier Railways visited the spot with a relief train after receiving news of the incident, said Chief Public Relations Officer Pranav Jyoti Sharma. “While prima facie inquiry has found that the train was within its stipulated speed, a departmental inquiry has been ordered to find out details about adherence to protocols,” he added.

In 2016, 16 elephants in the state died while crossing railway tracks and the following year 12 were killed. Five elephants, including a pregnant female, were killed in December 2017 when the Guwahati-Naharlagun Donyi Polo Express hit a herd crossing the tracks near Balipara in Sonitpur district. In February, four elephants were killed and two were injured after a train hit a herd in Nagaon district.

Sharma said instances of elephants crossing railway tracks have increased in the recent past and trains slow down whenever the forest department shares information of herd movement. “It is only because of the close coordination between field level officials of both the forest and railway departments that as many as 200 imminent dashings have been prevented this year alone,” he added. “The incidents have, however, to be seen in the light of recent spurt of man-animal conflicts.”