In the second such incident in two days, the newly-inaugurated Vande Bharat Express train on Friday hit a cow near Anand in Gujarat while on its way to Mumbai, officials said. The incident took place at 3.49 pm between Kanjari and Anand stations, about 433 km from Mumbai, said Sumit Thakur, chief public relations officer of Western Railway.

All the passengers were safe, he added.

"The train's front portion has suffered a small dent," he added.

Senior PRO Pradeep Sharma said the train resumed journey within ten minutes after halting. It was not clear immediately if the cow survived the accident.

On Thursday, four buffaloes were killed after being hit by the train on its way to Gandhinagar from Mumbai between Vatva and Maninagar railway stations. Its nose panel had to be replaced overnight due to the damage.

The nose panel on the other end suffered a dent in Friday's incident.

Speaking at an event at Anand on Friday, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that collisions with cattle on the tracks were unavoidable.

The train, which can reach the top speed of 160 kmph, has been designed keeping the possibility in mind, he added.