A four-year-old girl has been mauled to death by a pack of five stray dogs in Saudi Arabia.
It's understood the girl, identified only by her first name Shahd, was away on holiday at the time of the attack.
Witnesses described hearing her screams as the animals savaged her in the suburb of Al Washaila, some 25 kilometres (16 mi) south-west of the Saudi capital, Riyadh, on the evening of March 12.
Passers-by managed to chase away the dogs, and the girl was rushed to hospital. Due to coronavirus restrictions, her family was forced to wait outside while doctors attempted to safe her life.
Her uncle, Abdullah Hazzam Al Abd Al Salam, told local media that medics reassured him that his niece's condition was stable.
But hours later they were told the devastating news that she had died.
He said: "We rushed my niece to the nearest hospital, and we reached the hospital at around 5.30pm.
"The medical staff confirmed her condition was stable. We kept waiting outside the hospital due to Covid-19 precautionary measures, but at 7.50pm, we were informed that the girl had passed away. It was a shock to everyone."
Al Salam complained to local media that the suburb had long had a problem with stray animals and the local authorities had not done anything to address it.
He urged the authorities to cull stray dogs in the area, which is frequented by families with children on weekends.
Shahd was buried at the Al Mansouriya Cemetery on March 14.
