Newborn twin sisters were mauled to death by a family dog when their mother briefly left the room to talk to a neighbour.

Mother Elaine Novais, 29, a council worker who had struggled to conceive for nine years, left her 26-day-old premature babies at their home in Piripá, in the northeastern state of Bahia, Brazil, last Tuesday, June 23.

She had not been gone for long when she heard the girls Anne and Analú crying. She rushed back to their bedroom but it was too late.

A nurse who lived nearby performed first aid on the twins. One died instantly from her injuries and the other later died at Maria Pedreira Barbosa Municipal Hospital after going into cardiac arrest.

Mrs Novais collapsed from shock after the death of her babies and she had to be sedated at the hospital. Mrs Novais and her husband Regis, 32, had struggled for nine years to have children.

The dog, described as “docile”, is believed to have become jealous after not receiving as much attention since the birth of the babies.

A family member claimed the dog “was left out in a way, and it no longer had the attention and affection of its owners provided before”, reports The Sun.

They added:

‘That could have caused some kind of jealousy and led the dog to attack the children.”

Anne and Analú died one day before their due date, having arrived a month early via cesarean section.

Police are investigating the deaths, but are yet to take testimonies from the devastated parents.