No travellers were injured in the accident in Assam state, home to more than 4,000 of the roughly 22,000 wild elephants in India.

Senior Assam police official V.V. Rakesh Reddy told AFP that seven jumbos were killed, and one elephant sustained an injury.

Five coaches of the train, which was headed to New Delhi from remote Mizoram state, were derailed.

Authorities have introduced speed restrictions along routes designated elephant corridors, but the latest accident occurred outside of these zones, Kapinjal Kishore Sharma, an Indian Railways spokesman said.

"The loco pilot, on observing the herd of elephants, applied emergency brakes. However, elephants dashed with the train," he said.

Deforestation and construction activity near their habitats force elephants to stray further afield for food, often bringing them into conflict with humans.

According to parliamentary figures, 629 people were killed by elephants across India in 2023-2024.