Bahia, Brazil: Newborn twin sisters were mauled to death by a family dog after their mother left the room so she could talk with a neighbor.
According to reports, the Labrador and American foxhound crossbreed attacked the babies, who were only 26 days old, inside their home.
The incident happened in the Bahia region of Brazil last Tuesday.
29-year-old Elaine Novais, the mother, rushed to help her babies after hearing their cries from her bedroom.
However, her actions came short as the dog had already left them bloody.
Regis, her husband, had been trying to have babies for the last 9 years.
Elaine, a council worker that works in the village of Piripa, pulled the animal away from the newborn twins.
The dog reportedly caused fatal and un-repairable damage to the abdomens of the twins.
A nurse that was living in the area reportedly performed first aid on the twins, however, one of the girls died at the scene.
The other sister died at the Maria Pedreira Barbosa Municipal Hospital after going into cardiac arrest.
The dog, which is being described by the family members as docile, is believed to have become jealous after not receiving attention from its owners since the birth of the twins last month.
Relatives said that the dog had been in the family for 5 years without causing a single problem.
A family member of the victims said:
That could have caused some kind of jealousy and led the dog to attack the children.
Anne and Analu, the twin sisters, died one day before their actual due date, the 2 were born 1 month early through a cesarean section operation.
Elaine collapsed from shock after the attack and had to be sedated at the hospital.
Maria de Jesus, a neighbor of the victims, said:
This has devastated the parents. I pray that they don’t fall into a depression but it will be difficult because the children were beautiful, really loved and desperately wanted.”
The local police released a statement about the incident, where they said:
In the face of this immeasurable loss, we express our condolences and sympathy with parents Elaine and Regis, and their friends and family in this moment of sadness and pain. May God comfort your hearts and give you the strength to transform all the pain of this irreparable loss into faith and hope.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the parents of the twins.