Astonishing footage shows a cow set for slaughter running on the street in a bid to escape and dragging two people holding onto a rope tied around its neck.

Surveillance camera recordings show the terrified animal storming down a snowy street in the city of Baishan, located in China's southeastern Jilin province, on Saturday, February 3.

It further dragged two slaughterhouse employees along the ground behind it as they tried to restrain it with a rope around its neck. A third individual joined the chase to assist.

All three men can be seen pulling the runaway bovine back to the slaughterhouse, with a woman following behind them and using a stick to hit the cow.

One of the three individuals said: 'I didn't dare to let go, as there was a road ahead, and I was afraid it might injure someone.

'Fortunately, we managed to hold onto it in time, and no one got hurt.'