Rajkot: A lioness died on Saturday afternoon after being hit by a metre-gauge passenger train near Khambhaliya village in Visavadar of Junagadh district.According to the forest department, the accident occurred at 12.33pm as the train travelling from Junagadh to Chalala was crossing Ozat River bridge. “The lioness, between 5 and 9 years old, suddenly leapt from an earthen embankment onto the railway tracks on the bridge,” said Prashant Tomar, deputy conservator of forest, Gir West.The loco pilot sounded the horn and applied the emergency brakes after spotting the big cat, but the train could not stop in time because of the extremely short distance, fatally injuring the animal.The loco pilot immediately alerted the railway tracker for Visavadar range. Forest department personnel reached the scene, secured and inspected the site, and searched the surrounding area.Officials recorded the statement of the loco pilot and took custody of the carcass, which has been transported to the Simar rescue centre. A panel postmortem will be conducted jointly by the veterinary officers of Simar and Sasan. “Additionally, a joint team of officials from the forest department and railways will carry out a comprehensive site inspection and an investigation into the incident,” said Tomar.
