Holy Cow! Herd Gets Moowed Down by Swedish Emergency Services

"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.