In a bizarre accident, 90 sheep were run over by a train on the Gorakhpur-Gonda route, an official said on Monday. A second train then ran over eight vultures feeding on the carcasses.
The incident occurred on Sunday when Vishanpur Kodar village resident Prabhu Ram, who had gone to graze his sheep, was attacked by a pack of dogs.
Ram herded the sheep towards the Saryu Canal railway bridge over the Bhabhar drain when a train travelling to Lucknow from Gorakhpur ran over the animals, the official said.
Ram managed to save his life by jumping into the canal.
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Nand Kumar Pandey, the head of Motinagar village where the incident occurred, said several vultures flew down and were feeding on the sheep carcass when another train from Gorakhpur ran over eight of them.
Following the accident, local MLA SP Yadav visited the village and demanded Rs 40 lakh compensation for the sheep owner. He said a demand had been made to the rail minister and the state government to provide the compensation.
However, the compensation amount demanded is several times the value of sheep in the open market.
Tulsipur Sub Divisional Magistrate Manglesh Dubey said on Monday that a report on the accident would be sent to the district administration and the Railways for appropriate action.
He said instructions had been issued to remove the remains of the sheep and the vultures to check the spread of diseases.