KOTA KINABALU: A buffalo that was to be sacrificed in conjunction with Hari Raya Aidiladha in a town outside the state capital broke free and started charging at people.
A woman, in her 40s, suffered a fractured leg during the incident that happened in Kampung Tobur in Rampayan, Menggatal, at 9.30am on Monday.
Earlier, villagers had gathered at the Ar-Rahman Surau for the celebration, with several mosque officials preparing for the sacrificial slaughter of five buffaloes when one managed to escape.
“As some villagers were moving the cattle for slaughter, one of the ropes snapped, causing the buffalo to break free.
“It then ran and circled the slaughter area, charging at villagers who were in the vicinity,” said the surau deputy chairman Ali Osman Ismail.
The injured victim was trying to shield her child when she was rammed by the animal, he added.
Earlier, two videos went viral, with one showing panicked villagers attempting to avoid the charging buffalo.
