Feb 02, Colombo: Sri Lanka Deputy Minister of Transport Rohana Dissanayaka said that ten elephants were killed in 2012 due to railway accidents.

The accidents have not only taken the lives of the elephants but also have caused damage to the locomotives or in some instances derailed the trains.

Sri Lanka Railways has identified the areas between Kekirawa and Punani on Batticaloa line, area between Galoya and China Bay in Trincomalee line and the stretch between Maho and Galgamuwa on Anuradhapura line as the most vulnerable areas for elephant accidents.

The Deputy Minister said the Ministry is considering solutions for the problems through discussions with the Ministry of Agrarian Services and Wildlife.

Sri Lanka's wild elephant population has dwindled in the recent years to about 5,000-6,000 elephants according to the Wild Life Department surveys, as their habitats are increasingly encroached by the human population