In a horrifying incident, a butcher in Hong Kong died while trying to slaughter a pig, according to a CNN report.

The butcher worked in the Sheung Shui Slaughterhouse on the northern outskirts of the city where the incident took place on Friday afternoon.

The CNN report cited the police as saying that the butcher had been about to kill the pig – which he had already shot with an electric gun – when it suddenly regained consciousness and knocked him over. The 61-year-old man had a deep wound from a 15-inch meat cleaver that he was using to slaughter the animal.

Another person who worked at the slaughterhouse found the butcher unconscious with the cleaver in his hand and a wound on his left foot. He was taken to the hospital following the incident, however, he was later certified dead. The police officers said that the cause of death has yet to be determined.

Hong Kong’s Labour Department has launched an investigation into the shocking incident. “The Labour Department is saddened by the death of the person and expresses its deepest sympathy to his family,” it said in a statement.

“We will take action pursuant to the law if there is any violation of the work safety legislation,” CNN cited the spokesperson as saying.