What Went Wrong? Drama as Thousands of Chickens Block Major Highway in Austria (Photos)

Emergency workers in Austria had an extremely unusual operation on Tuesday removing an estimated 7,000 chickens which were blocking a busy motorway.

Firemen remove chicken and transport boxes from a highway near Linz, Austria on Tuesday.

 

A truck crash involving a sleepy driver and 7,500 chickens caused chaos in Austria on Tuesday after the birds blocked part of the A1 highway near the city of Linz in Austria, CNN reports.

 

The driver of the truck transporting the chickens admitted to falling into "a second-long sleep" during which he veered right and collided with a bridge pillar, Franz Rockenschaub, of Highway Police Inspection Haid, said.

 

 

The chickens were set to be killed for food, having laid eggs for some time. The company behind the venture has not been named.

 

In the aftermath of the crash, some of the birds were exposed and made their break for freedom, escaping from the vehicle.

 

 

Rockenschaub said "thousands" of them ran onto the highway and authorities were forced to close a section of the road because of heavy traffic and the presence of gawkers.

 

It was then the job of 120 firefighters to get the chickens that survived the crash back into the truck. Some chickens were killed in the accident, but no human injuries were reported.