Dog helps identify injured woman

A dog's love for its owner played a crucial role in helping the police identify an elderly woman who was found lying on the ground seriously injured in a Birkirkara street on Wednesday afternoon.

After the mishap, the dog who was accompanying the 74-year-old woman, returned to her home and stood by the front door. When this was brought to the attention of the police, neighbours helped identify the injured woman as the dog's owner, sources close to the police said.

The police had some difficulty in identifying the woman at first, that is until her dog appeared in the scene.

The sources said the police have ruled out foul play. The woman, who was found in Triq il-Qasab, Birkirkara, was still in critical condition yesterday, the police said.

Investigations revealed that the woman went to Triq il-Qasab to feed some cats accompanied by her dog, when she suddenly fell ill and collapsed, seriously injuring herself.

Magistrate Consuelo Scerri Herrera has opened an inquiry.