This four-year-old girl has died after she was torn apart by a pack of five stray dogs in Saudi Arabia.

The girl, identified only by her first name Shahd, screamed as she was attacked by the canines after she stepped out of her family’s holiday home in the suburb of Al Washaila, some 25 kilometres (16 mi) south-west of the Saudi capital, Riyadh, on the evening of 12th March.

A number of passersby managed to chase away the dogs and the bloodied girl was rushed to hospital. However, she sadly passed away a few hours later.

The victim’s uncle, Abdullah Hazzam Al Abd Al Salam, told local media: “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 14th March.

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