A speeding train yesterday fatally knocked down an elephant in the Madukkarai forest division on the outskirts of Coimbatore yesterday.

The 15-year-old female elephant was crossing the track when the Chennai-bound West Coast Express dashed against it around 5.30 a.m. The elephant was thrown some 20 feet down the track, police said.

The elephant was trying to cross the track near Solayar on Madukkarai-Walayar line as two other elephants had already crossed it. The speeding train dashed against the pachyderm hurting its back. On information officials rushed to the spot and tried to revive it by medication, but it died around 9 a.m.

Blaming the engine driver, the passengers claimed that the train was moving at a speed of 50 kmph, as against the normal limit of 25 to 30 kmph stipulated by the forest department considering the movement of elephants at any given time.

A lactating elephant was killed by the Kochuveli Express on June 20 near Walayar on the Tamil Nadu-Kerala border.

Meanwhile, a three-year-old elephant that was moving around Mankarai for the last 10 days died due to some injuries. Since the calf was on constant move, officials could not locate it and treat it on time.

It is learnt that the mother elephant did not permit anybody to get near the calf.

The post mortem of both the animals was carried out and carcass buried.