COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — A train carrying thousands of gallons of fuel hit a herd of wild elephants in northeast Sri Lanka, killing two of the giant mammals and injuring one other as two of its tankers got derailed, authorities said.

The collision happened in the town of Minneriya — about 200 kilometers (124 miles) from the capital, Colombo — renowned for its nature park and wildlife.

The train driver told The Associated Press that the herd of nearly 20 elephants suddenly tried to cross over the railway track Friday.

“There was about 10 meters (32 feet) between us. So, we couldn’t do anything. We pressed the breaks to their maximum capacity, but there was nothing much we could do. At least four elephants were knocked down.” N.W. Jayalath said.

The train had eight tankers — five carrying diesel and another three petrol, each with a capacity of 50,000 liters (about 132,000 gallons), Jayalath said. Two of the petrol tankers got derailed, causing a significant leakage and severely damaging railway tracks and forcing authorities to suspend the train services on that line, he added.