Woman's dog-related death sparks liability debate

The death of an elderly woman caused by a dog running loose has been ruled an accident by local authorities, though netizens are still discussing whether the dog's owner or the child who secretly took the dog out should be held responsible.

The incident occurred on Monday evening as the 88-year-old woman, surnamed Mai, was standing on a road in Foshan, Guangdong province. When the dog－which was wearing a leash but had gotten away from the girl walking it－ran past the woman, its leash wrapped around the woman's legs, pulling her feet out from under her and causing her to fall on her face.

She was sent to hospital where she was pronounced dead, the local Xingtan township government said on Tuesday evening.