A herd of escaped cows paralyzed train traffic in the Tolochin district for almost three hours

August 10, Vitebsk / Diana Kurilo - BELTA /. A herd of escaped cows paralyzed train traffic at a crossing near the village of Stary Tolochin (Tolochin district, Vitebsk region) for almost three hours last weekend, Igor Netlovich, head of the linear post of Tolochin station, told a BELTA correspondent. According to the shepherds, the cows grazing at night were frightened by wild boars that broke through the electric fence. Almost 200 cows scattered in the vicinity. One group ended up on the railway tracks just as the Grodno-Unecha passenger train was passing. Despite the emergency braking measures taken by the driver, 18 cows were killed. Another 23 ran onto a railway bridge over the Druź River, where they got stuck between the sleepers. Two rescue teams from the Tolochin District Department for Emergency Situations and two shunting trains with cranes on platforms from the Minsk branch of Belarusian Railways arrived to save the animals and clear the railway tracks. Thanks to the measures taken, the cows were saved. However, the rest of the herd is still being searched for. The animals belonged to the joint-stock company "Tolochin Rayagropromservice". Due to the incident, the movement of two trains, a passenger and a freight train, had to be stopped for 2 hours and 44 minutes. The final circumstances of the incident are still being established, and the material damage is being calculated. -0-