A Sri Lankan passenger train derailed on Thursday after crashing into a herd of elephants, resulting in the death of six animals but no injuries to passengers.

The incident occurred near a wildlife reserve at Habarana, approximately 180 kilometres (110 miles) east of the capital, Colombo, before dawn.

The express train struck the herd, and videos from the scene captured one elephant standing over an injured youngster lying beside the tracks, with the tips of their trunks intertwined. Government spokesman and media minister Nalinda Jayatissa confirmed that among the six elephants killed, three were baby elephants.

"Elephants being run over by trains is not an uncommon occurrence, but our attention is focused on this case due to the sheer numbers involved," Jayatissa explained to reporters. Local police reported that two other elephants were left with serious injuries.

The government is currently working on a new mechanism aimed at reducing the number of wild animals, particularly elephants, hit by trains in the island’s sparsely populated jungle regions.

Jayatissa noted that despite existing measures, such as reducing train speeds, these efforts have failed to prevent these accidents.

In Sri Lanka, killing or harming an elephant is considered a criminal offence, as the animals are regarded as national treasures due to their importance in Buddhist culture. Sri Lanka is home to an estimated 7,000 wild elephants.

This is not the first tragic train accident involving elephants. In August 2016, three elephant calves and their mother were run over by an express train and killed at Cheddikulam, located around 260 kilometres (162 miles) north of Colombo. The impact caused one baby elephant to be dragged about 300 metres (990 feet) along the track. A similar incident occurred in September 2018 in Habarana, when two baby elephants and their pregnant mother were killed by a train.

Following these incidents, the authorities had ordered train drivers to observe speed limits in areas frequented by elephants to minimise the risk of injury. However, Thursday’s tragedy highlights the ongoing problem.

The deaths of these elephants come amid growing concern over the conflict between humans and elephants, particularly due to habitat encroachment. Farmers, often reliant on smallholder plots, frequently clash with elephants raiding their crops. Deputy environment minister Anton Jayakody revealed that in 2023, 150 people and 450 elephants were killed in such clashes.

To address this growing issue, the government is considering new measures, such as electric fences, trenches, and other deterrents, to make it harder for wild elephants to stray into villages.

In addition, a recent study published in the "Journal of Threatened Taxa" highlighted that Asian elephants mourn and bury their dead calves in a manner resembling human funeral rites.

Recognised as an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, there are approximately 26,000 Asian elephants in the wild, primarily in India and Southeast Asia, with a lifespan of 60 to 70 years outside captivity.