Rampaging piranhas chewed off a 13-year-old girl’s toe and injured 30 other sunbathers who had jumped in a river to cool off.
The teenager was rushed to hospital for an emergency skin graft after the frenzied mauling.
TV footage showed another casualty with blood dripping from foot wounds and a third with a chunk of finger missing.
Sergio Berardi is a lifeguard at the beach spot on Argentina’s Parana River, in Santa Fe.
He said it is unusual for the fish to strike out of summer, which starts in late December.
“Now we have seen the damage these piranhas can do,” Sergio added. “The lifeguards on duty were rushed off their feet trying to deal with all the people who suffered bite injuries at the same time.
“These fish tend to move in shoals, so we get a lot of simultaneous attacks.”
The culprits are a type of piranha called palometas, which grow up to 50cms long. One expert described them as “voracious and with sharp teeth that really bite”. It is not the first time they have drawn human blood in the river.
On Christmas Day 2013, 60 people, including 20 kids, were injured in a mass attack.
A seven-year-old girl lost part of one of her fingers and young boy was left with an open fracture in his hand.
