"The one month old calf was too slow to cross the tracks. Its mother was trying to assist it when the two were hit by the train's engine," said a railway official. The calf was crushed on the main line while its mother fell down on the loop line after being hit by the train, the mother elephant was hit so hard it died on the spot. The train service on the main and the loop lines was held up for over two hours.

The railway officials removed the bodies of the elephants after assistance was sent from the nearest station. The railway services were restored around 7am.

The herd of the elephants did not create trouble after accident - usually a herd of elephants is known to indulge in revenge attack after such accidents. In past elephants have tried to attack trains after accidents in West Singhbhum and Latehar districts of Jharkhand.

"It is likely that the two elephants were trailing the herd which crossed the tracks much before them. Had the herd been around, the elephants would have created a scene at the site," said divisional forest officer (DFO) Rajeev LochanBagchi.

The railway tracks cut its way through forests in Angara, center of an elephant corridor which connects elephant zones in Jharkhand and West Bengal. The tracks see regular movements of elephants who often cause damage to farmers.

A forest official said the driver did not use warnings to alert the elephants and the train disregarded the speed limits in elephant zones. A senior railway official, who was briefed about the accident, said the dawn had broken but visibility was low when the accident took place.

"The driver could not spot the elephants before the train was too close to avoid accident. The driver applied brakes, but before the train stopped the two elephants were killed," said a railway official.

Senior divisional commercial manager Niraj Kumar said it is for the first time that that such an accident took place on railway tracks on in Ranchi-Purulia section. "In areas where such accidents have taken place in past the railway takes all precautions," he said. Bagchi held a meeting with local railway officials after a visit to the accident site. "A vigil is being maintained around the site at night so that elephants do not create trouble," he said. The site witnesses movement of elephants into Jharkhand from Bengal and vice versa. Ranchi shares a long border with Puruliya. "This is among the busiest railway lines in Hatia division and the railway lines pose threat to elephants," Bagchi said.

Niraj said instructions have been issued to the drivers to restrict the speed of the train and use horn while crossing through elephant areas. A meeting will be held between railway and forest officials to make the area safe for the elephants.