Local Editor

A botched rescue effort by the Swedish Emergency Services resulted in the unsolicited death of no less than 37 cows.

Shortly before 11 p.m., a cow was hit by a motorist on Route 195 outside Hjo in Västra Götland County. After a while, an emergency brigade arrived at the scene, unaware of the fact that that more cows had gathered on the same road. The crash had a deadly impact.

"They had escaped from a near-by pasture," police officer Eva Ekblad told Swedish state broadcaster SVT, describing the event as "miserable."

The escaped cows stood clustered together on the road. Many died in the crash, while others were injured and subsequently put down, bringing the death toll to 37. A firefighter sustained injuries to his leg during the operation and was hospitalized.

"It was dark and rainy, and the cows were almost invisible. However, it is still unbelievable that it happened the way it did," emergency officer Göran Sandström told SVT.

Rescue work continued until three o'clock in the night. The fire engine was also damaged and was towed away from the scene.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team