A haunting video captured the moment a woman was horrifically mauled by a pit bull on a beach in the Dominican Republic.
Luisa Encarnación, 53, was seen being bitten by the feral dog on the shore of Palenque Beach in the southern city of Sabana Grande de Palenque on Sunday.
Bystanders took turns hitting the dog with a stick in an attempt to stop its attack, while others kept their distance wondering where the animal's owner was.
The frightening footage showed the dog trying to drag the screaming woman by her hair as she tried to crawl away.
However, a brave man managed to pull the beast off the woman and delivered three punched it over the head, while another person tended to Encarnación.
According to Dominican television news channel Noticias SIN, the woman was rushed to a medical facility and underwent an emergency operation.
Encarnación, who suffered head, neck and face injuries, survived the ordeal.
National Police investigators launched a search for the dog owner, who could be held liable for the attack.
A woman suffered head, face and neck injuries after she was mauled by a pit bull on Palenque Beach in the southern Dominican Republic city of Sabana Grande de Palenque on Sunday
A bystander delivered multiple punches after pulling it away from the woman it was attacking
A male bystander (center) pinned the pit bull to the sand on the shore of Palenque Beach while another person helped out Luisa Encarnación (top right)
In response to the incident, Sabana Grande de Palenque Mayor, Miguel Valera, met with agents of the Central Directorate of Tourism Police and banned the presence of dogs on the beach.
Concerned residents took to social media to call for legislation against dog owners to protect beach and park visitors from future attacks.
'In my opinion, a law should be passed that when one of those dogs bites someone, the owner should be sentenced to five years or more in prison and be subject to psychological damages,' one person said. 'Bet they are going to start to take care of the dogs?'
'There is no law,' another chimed, 'In parks it is normal to see large breed dogs let loose by their owners.
'The dog's owners had to have control of that animal,' another person said. 'You can't have that animal where there are people, much less on a beach.'
One resident called on elected officials to take a tougher stance against the owners of pit bulls.
'Here they have to establish a plan with the owners of that breed of dog,' they wrote. '[The owners] walk around the street as if it [the pit bull] were an ornament, without knowing the danger they represent.'
