Indian train drivers averted disaster recently by breaking just in time as a wild elephant crossed the tracks in West Bengal.

The pachyderm was spotted crossing the line between Gulma and Sivok in Darjeeling district on the evening of May 11.

Drivers R.R. Kumar and S. Kundu spotted the animal and brought the locomotive to a halt.

The elephant wandered back into the jungle moments later, apparently unaware of the close call.

A train's timely brake helped save the life of a wild elephant in eastern India's West Bengal.

The pachyderm was spotted crossing the railway track between Gulma and Sivok in Darjeeling district on the evening of May 11.

The elephant had ventured from the nearby forest and wandered near the tracks as the locomotive neared. The train was progressing at good speed at that time, but the moment the pilot and assistant pilot noticed the presence of the pachyderm, they pulled the brake of the 15767 Siliguri- Alipurduar Intercity Express, preventing an untoward incident.

The Locomotive Pilot and Assistant Locomotive Pilot have been identified as R.R Kumar and S. Kundu respectively.

The elephant crossed the railway track peacefully, unaware of the train's stoppage in movement.

Speaking to Newslions, Dilip Kumar Singh, Divisional Railway Manager (DRM), Alipurduar, said the two pilots would be rewarded.

"We are using advanced technology to prevent any man-animal conflict and mitigate accidents. We are going to upgrade our system in the near future and make it accessible to everyone in the system, from the pilots to gateman, to make tracking easier," Singh said.

"We have been able to successfully manage the system with zero man-animal conflict in the last three years," the senior official added.