COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — At least six elephants were killed when a passenger train hit a herd near a wildlife sanctuary in Sri Lanka, an official said on Thursday.

A Sri Lankan passenger train derailed Thursday after smashing into a family of elephants, with no passengers injured but six animals killed in the island's worst such wildlife accident, police said.

No passengers were injured but six animals were killed in the island's worst wildlife accident, police said. Killing or harming elephants is a criminal offence in Sri Lanka, which has an estimated 7,000 wild elephants,

The train was travelling near a wildlife reserve at Habarana when it hit a family of elephants crossing the line.

A passenger train derailed after striking a herd of elephants near a wildlife reserve in central Sri Lanka in the early hours of Thursday. While no injuries were reported among passengers, six elephants died from the accident in Habarana,

Graphic content / Wounded elephants. A passenger train derailed after hitting a herd of elephants near a wildlife reserve in Habarana, Sri Lanka, early Thursday, resulting in six elephant fatalities.