In a tragic turn of events, two elephants were killed when a fuel train collided with a herd of wild elephants between the Hingurakgoda and Gal Oya railway stations early this morning (18), resulting in the derailment of the train.

The accident resulted in the deaths of two elephants, while several others sustained critical injuries.

The Department of Railways said that four fuel tankers derailed, with two toppling over, along with the train engine and another compartment. The derailment also caused significant damage to the railway track.

The accident occurred around 3:30 a.m. while the train was transporting fuel from the Kolonnawa Petroleum Storage Terminal to Batticaloa. Train services on the Batticaloa-Colombo line have been halted, and scheduled trains between Colombo Fort and Batticaloa have been canceled.