An 11-year-old girl was savagely mauled during a morning walk in London, England, leaving her with broken bones, according to police.
The girl had been walking along Ben Johnson Road, in Tower Hamlets, a borough that borders the Thames River, when she passed a man with two large dogs at about 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, September 28.
According to a Metropolitan Police news release issued on Monday, one of the dogs lunged at her when she walked past.
It bit her “several times on the hand and arm” before it managed to get a firm hold of her until a bystander intervened.
The release stated: “A passing taxi driver intervened to free the victim from the dog’s grip. She was taken to hospital where she stayed for several days receiving treatment.”
Police said the suspected dog owner fled the scene of the attack before officers arrived. No arrests have been made in connection with the attack, a Met Police spokesperson told Newsweek.
No further details about the attack, or what breed the dogs were, were shared with Newsweek.
Detective Inspector Luke Hampton said: “This was a shocking and sustained attack on a young girl as she walked to school.
“The incident not only left her with serious injuries—including broken bones—but has also left her traumatized.
“We need to quickly identify the owner of these dogs to make sure this does not happen again.”
According to St. John Ambulance, there are an estimated 12 million dogs in the U.K. It added National Health Service data found the number of dog bites rose by 17 percent from 7,424 in 2020/21 to 8,655 in 2021/22.
In 2021/22 there was an increase in attacks on children aged between 10 and 14 from 306 the previous year 378.
In March, a dog attack left an 8-year-old boy with serious facial injuries, according to Staffordshire Police in England.
Police said officers were called to Brook Vale at about 12:40 p.m. after they were alerted to reports that three people had been bitten by a dog.
A police statement read: “An 8-year-old boy has received serious facial injuries and a 6-year-old girl has an arm injury. Both have been taken to Birmingham Children’s Hospital for treatment.”
A woman also suffered an injury to her arm, but she did not require treatment at a hospital.
In November, a child in County Wexford, Ireland, was treated for serious injuries at the hospital following a dog attack.
Alejandro Miszan, 9, had been playing with friends near his home when he was attacked by a pit bull.
The Gardai (Ireland’s national police force) and emergency services were alerted and raced to the scene. The dog was later put down.
Police had previously told Newsweek: “A child suffered serious injuries after being allegedly attacked by a dog. The child was later airlifted to the CHI (Children’s Health Ireland) at Crumlin in Dublin where he is undergoing treatment for serious injuries. The dog has since been destroyed.”
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