A 5-year-old boy has been mauled by a dog at his school in County Antrim. The child has been transferred to hospital in Belfast where his condition has been described as serious.

The dog was being shown to pupils at Carniny Primary School on the outskirts of Ballymena.

School principal Raymond Ross has said everyone at the school is very "upset and distressed by what has happened."

Mr. Ross said the incident had happened in the school playground, and that the pupils were being let in one by one to see the dog. He said four adults were present in the playground along with the child when he was attacked by the animal.

The Health and Safety Executive in the North is investigating.