Pensioner killed by flying cow that was hit by a train

A pensioner has died after being hit by a flying cow involved in a train collision.

Shivdayal Sharma, 82, was urinating next to the train track when the freak accident occurred on April 19. A cow was hit by the Vande Bharat express train in India before flying 100ft in the air and landing on Sharma. Another person in the area narrowly escaped the horrific incident.

Trains in the area are said to reach a speed of around 100mph.

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has since announced that measures, including rubbish removal, have started to diminish the number of cows nearby.

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According to India Today, union railways minister Ashwini Vaishnav said collisions with cattle on train tracks are unavoidable. Vaishnav said this was kept in mind when the Vande Bharat trains were designed.

In response to their article shared online, many people shared their condolences before asking about the cow's well-being.

"Just one question: is the cow ok? It says it fell on a man and killed him but nothing about the life status of the cow," one person wrote.

Meanwhile, the Western Railways has started to build metal fencing across the 620 km-long Mumbai-Ahmedabad trunk route in an attempt to prevent accidents with stray animals.

The idea to launch the fences was launched last September by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"In all, eight tenders have been awarded and the fencing work is progressing in full swing. The work is expected to be completed in the next 4 to 5 months," a Western Railways chief spokesperson said.

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