Three sloth bears were crushed to death by the Hyderabad-bound Gautami Express between Mutthireddygudem village and Rayagiri railway station in Bhuvanagiri mandal on Sunday.
At around 5:30 am when the train was passing through Rayagiri forests, three bears, one female and two male, were crossing the track. In the blink of an eye, the speeding train crushed the animals. One got struck to the engine, while the other two were thrown out of the track.
The driver stopped the train at Bhongir railway station and alerted officials. The train resumed its journey 30 minutes behind schedule.
Forest officials rushed to the spot and recovered the carcasses. “They died due to grievous injuries to the head and stomach,” Choutuppal Forest Range Officer Y Srinivaulu told Express.
He said while the female was aged around 7, one male was aged 6 and other 4.
As food and water become scarce in the forest during summer, wild animals like bears venture out at night to the fringes in search of them.