More than 120 cattle were aboard a semi-truck that crashed in downtown Kansas City, Missouri, early Sunday, leaving cattle roaming highways and city streets as authorities worked to track them down.
"Officers have been working to locate the cows since before 5 am," Sergeant Phil DiMartino with the Kansas City Police Department (KCPD) told Newsweek in an email Sunday, adding that "several cows remain unaccounted for" following "a crash involving a cow trailer."
DiMartino said he did not have an exact number of the cows that remain on the loose.
The Kansas City Fire Department (KCFD) responded to a two-vehicle crash on Interstate 70 near Admiral Boulevard at about 3 a.m., local station KSHB 41 reported. One person from each vehicle was taken to a hospital with injuries.
The cattle truck fell from the bridge onto the other vehicle, critically injuring the people taken to the hospital, a spokesperson for the fire department told FOX4 Kansas City.
Some cattle died in the crash, others remained inside the trailer and many escaped, the outlet added.
Newsweek reached out to KCFD by email Sunday for more information.
The crash prompted authorities to close the east side of the downtown loop while emergency crews dealt with the wreck and searched for the escaped animals, according to FOX4 Kansas City.
The escaped cattle appeared to be scattered across a three-mile area of the Kansas City metro, with local reports placing animals near Crown Center in Kansas City and as far away as Kansas City, Kansas.
The crash also spilled diesel onto the highway, and crews were working to clean it up, KSHB 41 reported, citing KCFD Battalion Chief Michael Hopkins.
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Search for Cows After Crash
The KCPD called in additional resources to help wrangle the cattle, according to local media reports.
FOX4 Kansas City reported that authorities were using drones and thermal imaging technology to try to locate the animals.
Firefighters were also seen attempting to herd cattle near the highway, according to KSHB 41.
Authorities have asked drivers to use caution while crews cleared the crash site and searched for the remaining cattle.
Anyone who spots a cow was asked to contact the KCPD non-emergency line at 816-234-5111 or the KCFD non-emergency line at 816-924-0600.
Newsweek’s reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here. Contact Newsweek editors for this story: Steve Mollman and Anthony Murray.