A bull had a lucky escape earlier this week when it emerged unharmed after being run over by a train in the Indian state of Bihar.

The animal went to sit on the tracks between two carriages on Friday afternoon but then fell asleep and only woke up when the train began to pull away from Motihari station.

Unable to stand, the bull was forced to lie between the tracks as the train passed inches above the bovine.

After a few moments, though, the bull spied its opportunity and managed to dart out to safety in the gap between two carriages.

The animal lived to fight another day with nothing more than a few scratches.