In an unfortunate and shocking incident, seven elephants were killed after being hit by electric wires in eastern India, local officials said.
A forest guard confirmed that the elephants were stunned while searching for food, when they touched a tightly suspended basket, thought to belong to a new railway.
Geytenderanath Das said the elephants were part of a herd of 15 villas near the village of Kamalanga in Deninkal district of Orissa early on Saturday.
"As soon as we heard the news, we rushed to the site to see the details that led to it," a wildlife official told Xinhua.
Villagers discovered the incident and told forest guards, according to the local Press Trust of India.
Trains regularly strike elephants on their faces in the area, usually heading to villages and towns as more people settle in forest areas.
The neighboring state of Assam is home to thousands of Asian wild elephants but is threatened with extinction by human encroachment and illegal fishing.
