An elderly man was tragically killed after being hit by a flying cow while trying to relieve himself next to a train track.
Shivdayal Sharma, 82, from India, was in the wrong place at the wrong time on Wednesday, when he was struck by a cow that had been flung 100ft in the air after being hit by an express train.
Sharma had been urinating on the track 30 meters away from where the animal was struck by the express train in Alwar, Rajasthan, causing it to be launched 100ft in the air by the impact.
The man, who had retired from his job as an electrician for Indian Railways 23 years earlier, was killed instantly in the freak accident.
Reports stated that a second person, who had been standing near Sharma at the time, narrowly escaped also being hit by the flying parts of the massive animal.
Per Outlook India, Sharma was rushed to hospital where he was declared dead and a post-mortem is due to be held. The cow was also killed in the incident.
The bizarre accident occurred after a herd of cows had wandered onto the tracks where high-speed trains can reach up to 100mph.
It is not uncommon for cows to be hit by trains in the country with 26,180 incidents reported from 2022-2023.
The latest tragedy has led to many calling for stricter safety regulations in the area, including fences to stop cows from being able to access the track so readily.
Zonal Railways have taken a number of preventative measures to reduce the number of animal fatalities on their tracks, including erecting metal fences.
Railway Minister, Ashwini Vaishnav added that "cleaning of garbage and removal of wild vegetation" had begun as well as "frequent whistling at locations prone for cattle/animal run over."
Per India Times, there have been several incidences of Vande Bharat trains colliding with livestock in the past year.
The Mumbai-Gandhinagar Vande Bharat Express had its front panel damaged on October 6, when it hit a herd of four buffaloes between Vatva and Maninagar railway stations.
The following day, the train hit a cow near Anand, and in a further incident, it hit a bull near Atul railway station in Gujarat.
Vaishnav revealed that while such collisions are unavoidable, the occurrences had been considered when the trains had been designed for the safety of passengers inside.
Our thoughts are with Sharma's family at this heartbreaking time.