New Zealand Earthquake Leaves 3 Cows Stranded On Tiny 'Island'

Three cows are stranded on a tiny patch of land following the powerful earthquake that shook New Zealand’s South Island early Monday.

The 7.8-magnitude quake and its subsequent aftershocks killed at least two people, while landslides cut off access to the eastern town of Kaikoura, The Guardian reports.

The two adults and one calf miraculously survived the landslides near Kaikoura, according to the New Zealand Herald. But as helicopter footage shows, the animals are now marooned on a small land island that formed after the surrounding paddock collapsed.

It’s not yet clear whom the cows belong to, whether they were part of a larger herd that was swept away, or how emergency crews plan to rescue them.

“The priority of the police is to make sure all human lives are safe and we still need to account for all of them yet,” the local police department said, per Australia’s Sydney Morning Herald. “In the meantime it’s all hands on deck, and if farmers and emergency services together can get to these cows, they will certainly make an effort to rescue them.”