Jamshedpur, July 18 : The once-vital 'Elephant Corridor' connecting Jharkhand's Kolhan division to neighbouring West Bengal has turned into a deadly passage for the very creatures it was meant to protect. In just the past 45 days, seven elephants have died within a 100 km stretch. These pachyderms are the victims of train accidents, electrocution, and even landmines.

The most recent tragedy occurred on the intervening night of July 17-18, when three elephants, including two calves and an adult, were mowed down by the speeding Jan Shatabdi Express near Banstola railway station in West Bengal's Jhargram district, adjacent to Jharkhand's Ghatsila subdivision.

The elephants were crossing the tracks when the train hit them around 1 a.m. All three died on the spot. Their mangled bodies lay on the railway tracks for hours, causing a major disruption on the busy Howrah-Mumbai rail route.

The bodies were removed only later on Friday morning using JCB machines, after which train traffic resumed.

The herd had been seen in the Banstola forest for several days. According to the forest department, railway authorities were warned about the herd's presence, but no precaution was taken to reduce the speed of the trains. On the night of the incident, villagers and forest officials were trying to guide the elephants away from human habitation using torches when the tragedy struck.

Jhargram Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Umar Imam said the accident could have been avoided with timely intervention and better coordination. 'If the train had slowed down as alerted, the collision might have been averted,' he said.

This is just one in a series of fatal incidents in the Jharkhand-Bengal Elephant Corridor. On July 10, a wild elephant was found dead in the Serengasia valley of West Singhbhum district, suspected to have died from electrocution by live wires laid in a farm field.

On July 5, a six-year-old elephant named Gadru died in Saranda Forest, days after being injured in an IED explosion planted by Maoists. Despite efforts by the Forest Department and wildlife NGO Vantara from Gujarat to save him, he succumbed to his injuries.

On June 24, a female elephant died of electrocution in Heaven village under the Chandil Forest range of Seraikela-Kharsawan district. She came into contact with an illegally electrified fence installed by a farmer. Authorities have launched an investigation.

On June 5, another elephant was found dead in a field near Ambeda in the same forest area, reportedly also due to electrocution.

The death toll highlights a growing crisis in Kolhan's forest landscape. In the past three years, over 20 elephants have died in various parts of the Kolhan division alone.

Earlier, five elephants died due to electrocution in Musabani (East Singhbhum) in November 2023. In July 2024, a female elephant was found dead in Bhadua village of Baharagora.

According to data presented in Parliament, 528 elephants have died from unnatural causes in India over the last five years. Jharkhand alone accounts for 30 of those deaths due to electrocution.

/IANS