Piranha Attack! As 70 Christmas Day bathers are savaged, the truth about the fish with a bite more powerful than a T-rex

Bathers were attacked on the Rambla Catalunya beach in Argentina

Among revellers cooling off in 100-degree heat were 20 children, who were injured in the frenzied attack

The seven-year-old girl was just one of thousands in the water of the mighty River Parana on the afternoon of Christmas Day last week.
For residents of the central Argentine city of Rosario, the festive season most certainly does not involve eating mince pies and drinking eggnog before sleeping it off in front of a fire.
Instead, with the mercury hitting a sticky 100 degrees, most are keener to cool off than to gorge themselves.
The best place for a dip is the city’s Rambla Catalunya, a mile-long stretch of sandy beach on South America’s second largest river.
With bars, restaurants and fun fairs, the beach is a major attraction and last Wednesday was no exception.
Tens of thousands had gathered to enjoy the holiday. Many took the opportunity to swim or paddle in the river.
That afternoon, as the little girl splashed up to her waist in the waters, everything seemed quite normal.
Then, she suddenly felt a tugging at the little finger of her left hand. Instinctively, she pulled away, but the tugging grew more powerful. And then came a searing pain that caused her to cry out.
She looked down at her finger, but all she could see was a trail of blood leaking into the dark water.
As she ran for the shore, her screams startled the sunbathers.