On Sunday morning, which for many was the first day of work after the Spring Festival holiday, Guangzhou Metro Line 3 was delayed for around 40 minutes after 7:20 a.m. when a dog ran into the tunnel, Yangcheng Evening News reports. The dog didn’t survive.

Initially, LED screens at stations along the line, which runs from Panyu Square to Tianhe Coach Terminal, said the delay had been caused by an “information failure,” but there was no subsequent announcement as many commuters returned to the surface to get a taxi.

One Panyu resident told Guangzhou Daily that his commute from Panyu Square to Xiajiao along the line usually takes 20 minutes. That morning it took over an hour, causing him to receive a fine for being late for work.

When the dog was found it had no collar and was feared dangerous. It was surrounded by Metro workers and beaten to death.

It is not yet known how the dog entered the tunnel, but a worker surnamed Ye said it was safe to say that it entered at one of the stations where the trains arrive on the surface rather than underground.