In an unfortunate freak accident in the Negev, a train hits group of camels. Police currently working to find the owners.

Israel Railways reports, ‘Animals wandering onto tracks do get hit by passing trains from time to time,’ 

Mati Siver

A train ran over a group of camels, leading to massive delays for passengers and an untimely death for the desert animals.

An Israel Railways train traveling from Dimona to Beersheba Tuesday night hit and killed 14 camels that were on the tracks, near the Segev Shalom Junction. After the incident the train continued on its way and completed the journey without additional incident.

A train patrol man called the police to inform them of the freak accident and the on-duty officer and crime scene investigator made their way to the site of the crash. They were joined by the crash scene investigators and forensic specialists.

The police are currently working with veterinary officials to locate the deceased camels’ owner in a bid to understand how the camels reached the tracks.

Israel Railways said in a statement that “animals wandering on the tracks do get hit by passing trains from time to time. The breaking distance for a train is 800 meters, hence the train conductor had no possibility to break before impact.”

It further noted that “these types of events cause delays because there is a need to make certain that the collisions did not include pedestrians. More so, the conductor must also exit the train and make sure it did not sustain any damage. During this incident, after such an examination, the train continued on its path.”

View original Ynet publication at: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4466950,00.html