Kolkata, Mar 14 (IANS): Eight elephants have been mowed down by trains in northWest Bengal during the first two months of the current year, a minister said here Thursday.

Forest Minister Hiten Burman gave the information while replying to a question in the state assembly.

Later, he told reporters that a group of people carrying hand-held transceivers have been deployed in the area to prevent such accidents.

"They will work in groups of four to five. They will be told when a train leaves a station. They will ensure the animals do not cross the railway lines when a train is passing," he said.

Since 2007, around 51 elephants have perished due to unnatural causes in the state. Most of them were hit by trains.

The railway line connecting Alipur Duar in Jalpaiguri district to Siliguri in Darjeeling district passes through lot of forests which are corridors of elephants.

However, the pachyderm count in north Bengal has gone up now to 650 from 530 in 2010, the minister said. In south Bengal, the number has risen from 45 to 50.