Fuel train mows down two elephants in Minneriya

Train derails with two petrol tanks toppling:
No train services till clearing of track:

A train transporting fuel from Colombo to Batticaloa collided with a herd of elephants near the Minneriya railway station around 4 am on Friday (18), resulting in the death of two elephants and a derailment, according to the Minneriya Police.

The train was carrying 11,000 gallons of fuel, with seven tanks filled with diesel and four tanks with petrol. Two of the petrol tanks have overturned, causing a fuel leak, the police investigating the incident reported.

The train’s driver and four workers were onboard at the time, and none of them sustained injuries, Minneriya Police OIC, CI Duminda Perera confirmed.

As a result of the derailment, train services between Gal Oya and Batticaloa have been halted. A special police unit from Minneriya and Habarana has been deployed to secure the area.In addition, wildlife officials from Minneriya reported that another elephant from the herd was severely injured in the collision.Chief Inspector Duminda Perera and a team of officers from Minneriya Police are conducting further investigations into the incident.

Probe into speed, other factors of train – Additional GM

Irangika Range

Additional Railways General Manager Operations V.S.Polwattage said that investigations are on to ascertain the speed limit at which the fuel train that collided with a herd of elephants was travelling.

The engine in question was more than 50 to 60 years old. Earlier these engines were used to transport around nine oil tankers but now they are deployed to transport only seven oil tankers. However, certain speed limits should be maintained by trains when travelling down hills with oil tankers,” he said.

There should be a warning system aiming to alert train drivers to the presence of elephants near or on the tracks.

However, there are practical problems of how to install this system inside the train compartments and engines due to the noise prevailing in trains.

Hence, we expect to discuss these practical issues with relevant companies supplying these equipment.

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