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

New Zealand Earthquake Leaves 3 Cows Marooned On Tiny 'Island'
In this image made from video, three cows stranded on an island of grass in a paddock that had been ripped apart following an earthquake near Kaikoura, New Zealand Monday, Nov. 14, 2016. A powerful earthquake that rocked New Zealand on Monday triggered landslides and a small tsunami, cracked apart roads and homes and left two people dead, but largely spared the country the devastation it saw five years ago when a deadly earthquake struck the same region.(Newshub via AP) NEW ZEALAND OUT
AP
In this image made from video, three cows stranded on an island of grass in a paddock that had been ripped apart following an earthquake near Kaikoura, New Zealand Monday, Nov. 14, 2016. A powerful earthquake that rocked New Zealand on Monday triggered landslides and a small tsunami, cracked apart roads and homes and left two people dead, but largely spared the country the devastation it saw five years ago when a deadly earthquake struck the same region.(Newshub via AP) NEW ZEALAND OUT

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 landslidesnear 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."

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