A four-year-old girl was attacked by a dog late on Saturday at a park in Xylotymbou, in the Famagusta district.

According to the police, the child’s father reported to police that his young daughter was attacked by the dog as she tried to stroke it, biting her on various parts of her body. The man had visited the park late on Saturday afternoon with his wife and two children.

The child was rushed to Famagusta General Hospital, where doctors confirmed that the 4-year-old had suffered a laceration to her scalp, a wound to her right ear lobe and abrasions to her arms.

The little girl was transferred to the Paediatric Surgery unit at Makarios Hospital in Nicosia for treatment.

Members of the Famagusta Police Department and Xylotympou Police Station visited the scene and examinations revealed that there were no public signs in view warning of dogs in the park and that the dog was roaming freely off-leash.

Further examinations revealed that the dog’s owner, a 36-year-old man, who also happens to be one of the park’s owners, was present during the incident. The 36-year-old did not have a licence to own the dog, while the dog is not registered and unchipped.