A vehicle passes by a wild elephant on Colombo-Trincomalee road of Sri Lanka, April 4, 2016. (Xinhua/Gayan Sameera)

NAIROBI, Nov. 19 (Xinhua) -- A speeding truck hit and killed an elephant along a highway in the Kenyan capital Nairobi on Friday, the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) said.

KWS said the adult female elephant died from the accident along Nairobi-Mombasa highway in the early morning.

"KWS is saddened that in the early hours of this morning, an elephant died arising from a hit by a canter lorry at Kanga station area of the park along Mombasa-Nairobi highway," the organization said in a statement.

The statement said the three people travelling in the lorry were reported to have sustained minor injuries while the lorry heading for the port city of Mombasa had some damage.

The carcass of the animal has been removed from the road and the tusks have been recovered by the KWS for safe custody.

Police and the KWS have launched investigations into the incident.