Indian villagers launched a rescue mission on a war-footing to pull out a cow that was buried alive in a 12-feet pit.

In a breathless effort, they managed to pull out the cow within 30 minutes of the mishap.

The incident occurred near Fatehabad in North India on December 23.

The stray cow had gone to find food at a construction site when the ground beneath it caved in. The cow fell into an old pit and was covered with soil.

A group of villagers assembled quickly and dug the earth with their hands and a digger which was luckily available nearby. Working furiously, they managed to reach the cow and bring it up.

A local villager, Vishnu Ram, 34, said: “The cow was covered with loose soil. It seems to have managed to breath through it.”