For the second time in less than a month, bathers in the Parana River in Argentina have been attacked by fish.

There have been several reports of injuries since last Thursday among bathers at Rosario, located around 185 miles north of Buenos Aires. At least 10 people have been bitten in this latest spate of attacks, although none of the injuries are said to be serious. On Christmas Day more than 70 bathers were bitten by a school of fish, with some children reported to have lost entire digits.

The fish responsible is thought to be 'palometa', a carnivorous fish of the piranha family — probably Pygocentrus palometa. The very hot weather combined with lower numbers of caiman, which prey on the fish, could be leading to the attacks, say officials.