An elderly woman was gored to death by a stray cow in front of her family in India.

Bibi Gurdeep Kaur, 65, was cleaning the front of her home when the rampaging bovine charged towards her in Kurukshetra, Haryana on July 27.

The old woman tried to escape but the animal trampled on her and hit her with its horns until she was dead.

Shocking footage shows the stray cow furiously attacking the old woman. Neighbours tried to scare the animal away but to no avail as it continued to stab her even after she fell.

One of the neighbours said in the video: ‘Get some water' as they tried to drive the cow away by throwing water on it.

Another can be heard saying: ‘Do it fast, pull her to safety' as the family members cried and scream.

Two other stray cows wandered nearby but the black one continued to hurt the old woman.

After the cows were driven away, Bibi was rushed to the hospital but died shortly after arriving at the facility.

In India, devout locals follow Hindu customs, with cows regarded as sacred animals that cannot be eaten or slaughtered once they have stopped producing milk. The majority of states ban the sale or slaughter of cows.

Instead of dealing with the economic burden of keeping their spent cattle, many farmers let the beasts roam the streets - leading to chaos when the animals become agitated and turn their fury on humans.