Guwahati, Dec 2 (IANS): Forest Department personnel in Assam in a joint operation with the local people on Thursday rescued five elephants which were trapped in a muddy pond in eastern part of the state, officials said.

Forest officials said that the wild tuskers, including a calf, had slipped into a pond on Wednesday night at Choibari area in Goalpara district, bordering Meghalaya.

The villagers on Thursday informed the forest officials about the incident following which the elephants were rescued and released in their natural habitat.

Two excavators dug up one side of the pond, facilitating the elephants to climb up. It is believed that the five elephants crossed over to Assam from the nearby forests in Meghalaya, officials said.

Meanwhile, two wild elephants were killed after being hit by a train in Assam's Morigaon district.

A spokesman of the Northeast Frontier Railway said on Thursday that the elephants collided with the engine of the Dibrugarh-bound Rajdhani Express near Jagiroad late on Tuesday night, when they were crossing the railway tracks.

However, train movement was not halted due to the incident.