BEIRUT: A woman was severely injured in the southern coastal city of Sidon overnight after a guard dog, which was in pursuit of thieves, accidentally attacked her, security sources said Saturday.

Mariam Rais al-Mina was taken to hospital for her injuries but is in stable condition.

Mina, a bystander, had been in the vicinity of Al-Bahaa company, owned by Mustafa al-Bilani, where a guard dog at the time was chasing a group of thieves.

During its pursuit of the thieves, the dog accidentally attacked Mina.

The thieves managed to make their escape with the help of a getaway car.

In a separate incident in the southern coastal city, a series of car chases turned violent Friday.

After chasing one another in their vehicles at the southern entrance to Sidon, a group of youths turned on one another on the street using knives.

Five individuals were injured in the incident, including one with severe injuries.

The Internal Security Forces failed to apprehend any of the individuals after arriving at the scene of the incident.