Geneva - A six year-old boy has died after being attacked by a pack of dogs while walking to school in a northern Swiss village, police said on Thursday.
The youngster was so badly mauled that he died on the spot near the local kindergarten in Oberglatt, north of the Swiss city of Zurich, local police said.
The 41-year-old owner of the dogs was in police custody and his animals were also seized, they added.
Three dogs were thought to have been involved in the attack but police in the canton of Zurich said they were still uncertain of the number.
The boy's mother, his friends and teacher were receiving psychological support.
Some 13 000 people are bitten by dogs every year in Switzerland but no direct deaths have been reported in recent years, according to the Swiss news agency ATS.
Small children are more at risk of serious injury because they are bitten in the head and upper body, while adults tend to suffer bites to their limbs.
Several incidents involving attacks by pet dogs in recent years have triggered a sharp debate in Switzerland about the degree of control owners have over some types of dogs, and their responsibility.
Swiss authorities hope electronic tagging, which will be obligatory nationwide next year, and a national database will help keep track of dangerous dogs.
http://www.news24.com/News24/World/N...844047,00.html
The youngster was so badly mauled that he died on the spot near the local kindergarten in Oberglatt, north of the Swiss city of Zurich, local police said.
The 41-year-old owner of the dogs was in police custody and his animals were also seized, they added.
Three dogs were thought to have been involved in the attack but police in the canton of Zurich said they were still uncertain of the number.
The boy's mother, his friends and teacher were receiving psychological support.
Some 13 000 people are bitten by dogs every year in Switzerland but no direct deaths have been reported in recent years, according to the Swiss news agency ATS.
Small children are more at risk of serious injury because they are bitten in the head and upper body, while adults tend to suffer bites to their limbs.
Several incidents involving attacks by pet dogs in recent years have triggered a sharp debate in Switzerland about the degree of control owners have over some types of dogs, and their responsibility.
Swiss authorities hope electronic tagging, which will be obligatory nationwide next year, and a national database will help keep track of dangerous dogs.
http://www.news24.com/News24/World/N...844047,00.html
Comment