Four elephants were crushed to death when a speeding train engine rammed into a herd of 12 elephants crossing a railway track in Dharmapuri district of Tamil Nadu early on Monday morning.
The diesel engine, which was on its way to Dharmapuri from Salem, derailed following the collision, but the driver escaped unhurt, District Superintendent of Police K Periyaiah said.
The mishap occurred at Katteri, 80 km from Dharmapuri, on the Bangalore-Salem section of the Southern Railway.
A baby elephant was among the four which died on the spot. The rest of the herd encircled the derailed engine and began hitting it with their trunks, police said.
