Thousands of piglets rescued by police after US highway crash

Thousands of piglets were rescued by police after a trailer transporting them overturned on a highway in America.

The tractor-trailer carrying the 2,200 pigs was travelling on the Interstate 40 south of Raleigh, North Carolina, when it came off the road on Tuesday morning.

Police said a number of the animals died in the crash but the exact number was unknown.

An officer’s report said the truck was travelling west when a car changed lanes in front of it, leading to a collision.

The vehicle then came off the road and hit a guardrail, which caused it to overturn and send the piglets into the road.

Road closures were in place for several hours after the accident and no serious injuries were reported.