A swarm of biting fish has attacked and injured more than 70 people swimming off a popular beach in Argentina on Christmas Day.

Victims include a seven-year-old girl who has had her finger partially amputated, whilst dozens more have suffered deep bite wounds of around two to three centimetres.

The fish, called "palometas", are relatives of the infamous Piranha. Federico Cornier, director of emergency services in the city of Rosario, said that bites normally came as isolated incidents, and that the magnitude of attacks represented here was an exceptional event.

The beach near Rosario, 300 km north of the capital Buenos Aires, is popular with Argentinians seeking relief from the heat over the Christmas holiday period.

Written and presented by Alfred Joyner