PITTSBURGH (AP) - Officials say a young child died after falling into an exhibit at the Pittsburgh zoo and being mauled by African painted dogs.

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Tracy Gray of the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium said the accident happened at about 11:45 a.m. Sunday. It's not clear whether the child died from the fall or the attack.

Zoo president and CEO Barbara Baker says the child, who was about 3 years old, fell about 14 feet into the exhibit. She says there were 11 dogs in the enclosure and some attacked the child.

The zoo says that the animals are about as big as medium-sized domestic dogs, two to 2½ feet high and 37 to 80 pounds. They are considered endangered.

In May, some of the dogs escaped into a part of the exhibit that's usually closed. The zoo was on lockdown for about an hour as a precaution.