Villagers gather near the dead body of an elephant after it was hit by a train near the forests of Marghat in India's West Bengal state.

The speeding passenger train killed a total of four elephants after the driver failed to see them in time, a government minister said.

Dozens of elephants have died in recent years in such accidents as trains run through national parks and forests. Activists have called for trains to lower their speeds through such areas.

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India's wild elephant population was recently estimated at about 26,000.