Manila, Philippines  - It was a freak accident – a Filipino police officer was killed by a rooster during a raid on an illegal cockfight, officials said on Wednesday.

On Monday, Christian Bolok, a police officer in the town of San Jose, about 300 miles south of Manila, was rushed to hospital after he was cut in the thigh by the sharp blade attached to one of the cock's legs. Lieutenant Bolok was declared dead on arrival.

He was injured while he led a team of police officers in a raid of an illegal cockfight in a village in San Jose and picked up one of the roosters.

The metal spur attached to the animals' leg, called a gaff, cut through his left thigh. It lacerated Bolok's femoral artery, said Arnel Apud, the provincial police director.

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"I have a heavy heart as we have lost a brother who sacrificed his life in the name of service," Arnel said in a statement. "It was an unfortunate accident and a piece of bad luck that I cannot explain."

Six suspects were arrested in the raid for holding the illegal cockfight, Apud said.

Cockfighting is popular in the Philippines, where legal fights are held in licensed cockpits, usually on the weekends. Spectators place bets on the roosters in each fight. The fights are bloody and usually end with the death of one of the competitors.