A four-year-old girl died on Wednesday afternoon after being bitten multiple times by a dog in Drosa, a village in the municipality of Osternienburger Land in the eastern German state of Saxony-Anhalt. Emergency responders pronounced the child dead at the scene.
The attack occurred inside a residence where the child had been playing with the family's American Staffordshire Terrier, according to police. Several people present attempted to separate the dog from the girl before the attack was halted. The dog was later taken to an animal shelter with veterinary assistance.
Prosecutors in Dessau-Roßlau have opened a negligent homicide investigation targeting the girl's 32-year-old mother and a 30-year-old male acquaintance.