KOLKATA, India, June 1 (UPI) -- A train traveling through a forested area in India hit a pack of elephants crossing the tracks, killing three of them and leaving a fourth critically injured.
The incident happened early Friday in India's West Bengal state, CNN reported.
A baby elephant was among the three killed, said V.K. Sood, chief conservator of forests in West Bengal state. Sood said investigators were working to determine how fast the train was traveling at the time of the incident.
More than 30 elephants have been killed by trains in the area since 2004, Sood said.
Pawan Kumar Bansal, India's former rail minister, said in February the department needed to make special provision to protect elephants.
"The railway family is deeply grieved by some incidents of death of elephants on railway tracks passing through forest areas. Several measures have been initiated in consultation with the Ministry of Environment and Forests, which I am confident will substantially reduce such accidents and safeguard the lives of these gentle giants," Bansal said.
