Sri Lanka was ruled by the Portuguese, Dutch and British for 450 years but was granted independence in 1948 and Ceylon became the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka in 1972.

This image made from a video footage shows a derailed fuel transporting train in Minneriya, Sri Lanka, Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024, after it collided with a heard of elephants Friday.

A sign alerts train operators to the presence of wild elephants, near the site where a passenger train hit a herd and killed six elephants in Minneriya, Sri Lanka, Feb. 20, 2025. Priyan Malinda/AP ...

A train collided with a herd of elephants in Sri Lanka on Wednesday night, killing at least six of them, according to Sri Lanka Police.. No passengers were injured, but wildlife veterinary ...

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — A passenger train hit an elephant herd near a wildlife sanctuary in Sri Lanka, killing six of the animals, an official said Thursday. Four babies and two adults died near ...

By Jennifer Hauser, CNN Atlanta (CNN) — A train collided with a herd of elephants in Sri Lanka on Wednesday night, killing at least six of them, according to Sri Lanka Police. No passengers were ...

Police and railway personnel examine a derailed train at Habarana in eastern Sri Lanka on February 20, 2025, which killed six elephants. -/AFP/AFP via Getty Images Atlanta CNN — ...