12 Dogs Rip Apart 20-Year-Old Student In Front Of Friend At Picnic Spot

In a horrific incident, a pack of dogs used to guard a herd of goats ripped apart a 20-year-old student in Italy.

The victim of the vicious attack was identified as Simona Cavallaro. The university student was walking with a friend at a popular picnic spot in a pine forest at Mount Fiorino in Calabria, a region in southern Italy, when 12 canines mauled her to death.

An autopsy conducted on the victim revealed she had major bites on her body, particularly her legs. Dog hair under her fingernails suggested she tried to fight back the dogs but failed, according to News.com.au.

The victim's friend, who was at the scene at the time of the attack, managed to escape and hide from the dogs in a nearby building. He later called the authorities to inform them about the incident. Emergency services arrived at the scene and transported the victim to a local hospital where she died. While reports about the incident were released over the weekend, the exact date of the attack has not been revealed.

“Our lives are destroyed,” Cavallaro’s father Alfio wrote on social media, according to Italy24News. “My beloved daughter Simona passed away on this earthly life, my pain is immense as if half of my body had been removed... It’s not fair, our lives will be destroyed knowing that you have gone to heaven. God didn’t need another angel.”

"Simona pure like spring water, sunny like sunrise and sunset, smiling and playful like a child," he wrote in another post. He also posted some photos of his daughter, with the caption: "A glimpse of his little life lived in the full love of family and closest friends. Our lives will be destroyed."

Local authorities launched an investigation into the incident and began rounding up the dogs. The police said the dogs also attempted to attack the officers when they entered the pine forest at Mount Fiorino. Some of the dogs still had blood on their fur, local media reported Sunday. Only one of the 12 dogs that were captured had a microchip that identifies an owner. Some dogs in the pack belonged to the Maremma breed.

The police said they are questioning a 44-year-old shepherd, who is believed to be responsible for the animals.

“It’s a huge tragedy that could and should have been avoided,” Nino Spirli, the governor of Calabria, said, according to ANSA news.