Pig, about to get slaughtered, kills butcher in Hong Kong

In a shocking incident, a pig killed the butcher who was about to slaughter him in Hong Kong, on Friday.

According to police, the 61-year-old butcher was struck by the squirming pig and suffered a cut from a 40-centimetre (15-inch) meat cleaver while he lay on the ground in the Sheung Shui Slaughterhouse on the city's northern fringes near the border with mainland China, CNN reported. 

The butcher was preparing to slaughter the pig, which he had already shot with an electric stun gun, when it recovered consciousness and pushed him over, according to authorities.

Police said a coworker discovered the man unconscious with the cleaver in his hand and a cut on his left foot. He was brought to the hospital and subsequently pronounced dead.

According to the police department, the cause of death has yet to be determined.The city's labour department has launched an inquiry. "The Labour Department is saddened by the death of the person and expresses its deepest sympathy to his family," they said in a statement.

"We will complete the investigation as soon as possible to identify the cause of the accident, ascertain the liability of the duty holders and recommend improvement measures. We will take actions under the law if there is any violation of the work safety legislation," a department spokesman said.

In a statement, the city's Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, which oversees cattle slaughterhouses, expressed their sympathy for the man's family.

Studies say domestic pigs are calm, but if they are agitated, they can turn violent and attack humans, causing severe damage from trampling, kicking, and biting.