A six-year-old girl was seriously injured in Nonthaburi after a neighbour's pit bull attacked her while she slept. 

Rescuers were called to the house at 8pm on Thursday in Pak Kret district, where they found bloodstains.

The child suffered multiple bite wounds, mostly to her head. Neighbours who calmed the dog before the rescue team arrived saved her life, and she was rushed to hospital.

One of the neighbours reported hearing the girl cry and entered the house to pull the pit bull away, hitting its head with a wooden stick. The girl's father, sister and grandmother were also at the scene, he said.

Another neighbour said that when he arrived, the dog was dragging the girl from the bed.

The seven-year-old male pit bull, named Sola, lived in a house behind where the attack occurred. The dog's owner said Sola usually stayed indoors but escaped when a neighbour left the door unlocked.

The owner apologised and said that she would take responsibility.