At least 20 cows were killed after they were hit by a speeding Kalka-Shatabdi Express (Representational)

At least 20 cows were killed after they were hit by a speeding Kalka-Shatabdi Express near Narela in northwest Delhi today, affecting the movement of trains in the region, the Northern Railway said.

A herd of cows was crossing the tracks between Holambi Kalan and Narela when the 12005 New Delhi Kalka Shatabdi Express hit 20 of them "at full speed" at around 5:44 pm.

"The railway personnel present there cleared the tracks. It was horrific. In fact, the impact was such that there was minor damage to the tracks as well. The train departed left the accident site at around 7 pm," a spokesperson of the Northern Railway said.

The spokesperson said that the driver of the train had applied emergency breaks on seeing the herd. "But the cows got run over as the train was running at full speed," he said.