Newborn twin girls were mauled to death after the family dog became aggressive.
According to the Police in Brazil, the incident was described tragic after a mother briefly left her premature babies to speak to a neighbour, which was when the canine attacked.
The twin girls, Anne and Analú, died on June 23, the day they were scheduled to be born by caesarean, having arrived a month early.
Heartbroken mother Elaine Novais, 29, raced to her bedroom where the 26-day-old children lay after she heard their cries.
She dragged the dog away to stop the attack but the dog had already managed to inflict critical damage to their abdomens.
A neighbour, a nursing assistant, administered first aid before they were rushed to hospital. Doctors confirmed that one of the twins had died instantly from her wounds while the other was gravely injured and suffered a cardiac arrest, with the medical team unable to save her.
The incident in Piripá, in the northeastern state of Bahia, has shocked the local community.
A family member who asked not to be named told local media that the dog was usually affectionate and gentle.
“We think that with the arrival of the twin girls, the animal no longer had the attention and affection of its owners that it had been used to,” one member of the family, who didn’t want to give their name to media, told local reporters.
“This may have caused some kind of jealousy and led what was normally a docile animal to attack the children.”
The incident in Piripá, in the northeastern state of Bahia, has shocked the local community.
A family member who asked not to be named told local media that the dog was usually affectionate and gentle.
For new mum Elaine and husband Regis, 32, the devastating events followed a desperate nine-year attempt to start a family.
Elaine had to be sedated after collapsing with shock at Maria Pedreira Barbosa Municipal Hospital.
Neighbour Maria de Jesus, speaking to FocusOn News, 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.”
Midwives involved with the family described Elaine as a doting mother who showed “care and responsibility” throughout her pregnancy.
The police have opened an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the twins’ death.
It is unclear what triggered the dog’s attack or what has happened to the dog following the incident.