Three baby elephants were killed when they were hit by a passenger train in Sri Lanka yesterday. The trios were crossing the tracks in a forested area near Ambanpola , 150 km north of Colombo , when they were struck by a passenger train bound for the capital. Elephants are considered sacred animals inSri Lanka , but they increasingly clash with farmers as habitat becomes scarce and are also killed by trains and high-voltage power lines. At least 100 elephants are killed on the island each year , mostly by farmers , while marauding elephants raiding villages also claim the lives of about 50 people annually.