Wild dog pack kills boy and attacks tourist in Italy

A pack of feral dogs terrorising an Italian town have killed a boy of 10 and severely mauled a tourist.

The dogs in Scicli, Sicily, belonged to a local who kept dozens of them in unsanitary conditions and with little food. He was arrested on a manslaughter charge at the weekend after some of them killed the boy, who was from the nearby town of Modica.

The case sparked outrage in Italy, especially after news reports, citing local health officials, said some of the dogs were strays that authorities had entrusted to the man, believing he could take care of them.

While police captured most of the dogs, more attacks have since been reported. In the latest incident, a 24-year-old German woman was mauled today on the beach near Scicli.

She was reported in serious condition and taken to a hospital in Catania, where she was undergoing surgery.

“Her face was particularly disfigured,” said a rescue worker who was on the helicopter that rushed the woman to Catania.

“Her life is in serious danger due to the wounds, which are very deep.”