Colombo - Sri Lankan Express train killed an elephant and took the worst wildlife railway accident on the same route three months ago, but derailed on Tuesday. Local officials said the young wild elephant who crossed the track near Habarana was hit by the same train in the accident that caused seven elephants on February 20. After the collapse, officials imposed speed limits on trains passing through elephant habitat.

No passengers were injured in the accident, which occurred about 110 miles east of the capital, Colombo.

Railway authorities said an investigation was underway and engineers tried to re-drive the Colombo-Batikara train back to the track after the pre-dawn crash.

Authorities earlier announced changes to schedules and efforts to remove shrubs from either side of the track to improve visibility of drivers so that they can give them more time to avoid hitting elephants.

Wildlife officials said 139 elephants have been killed by trains in the past 17 years since authorities began collecting such data.

The government also announced that 1,195 people and 3,484 elephants have been killed in the past decade as the island's conflict worsens.

In Sri Lanka, killing or injuring elephants is a criminal offence, with an estimated 7,000 wild elephants – considered national treasures, partly because of their importance in Buddhist culture.

However, as desperate farmers struggle with elephants who attack crops and destroy livelihoods, the killing continues.

Many elephants were electrocuted, shot or poisoned. Sometimes, fruits rich in explosives are used to cause animals, often leading to painful deaths.

India's wild elephants population is more than twice that of Sri Lanka Train jet collision. India has lost about 200 elephants in the past decade only due to training accidents, a massive death from poaching and accidental power.

The Indian government has taken steps to limit train speeds in a dedicated elephant corridor, but campaigners say the rules are generally poorly enforced.

Earlier this year, Tamil Nadu, in southern India, became the first to launch a surveillance system supported by artificial intelligence and machine learning to help prevent elephants from dying on railways.