Hyderabad, Sep 18 (IANS): In a shocking incident, stray dogs mauled a 20-month-old child to death in Andhra Pradesh's coastal city of Visakhapatnam on Friday.

The incident occurred in the evening when the child had come out of his house to play.

Shiva Keshav, son of a watchman working in a building on R.K. Beach Road, was attacked by at least five dogs.

Alarmed by the cries of the boy, his parents tried to rescue him but failed to chase away the dogs. By the time residents gathered and drove away the dogs, they tore him apart.

The body was taken to the King George Hospital. According to doctors, there were at least 200 dog bites on the body.

In another incident in Kadapa district, two children were injured in an attack by stray dogs.

The incidents brought into focus the menace of stray dogs in various parts of the state. In April, a five-year-old girl was mauled to death by dogs in Guntur.

Almost every day, dozens of cases of dog bites are being reported from Guntur, Krishna, Nellore, Kurnool, Kadapa, Anantapur and other districts. People say the municipal authorities have failed to check the menace.