A 66-year-old man has died after being attacked by two dogs at his home in Rotterdam at the weekend in what police call “a tragic accident”.

The two dogs, reportedly nine-month-old American Bully XL pups from the same litter, were in a fight and turned on the man when he tried to separate them, his daughter told the AD.

One of the dogs belonged to the victim, and the other to his granddaughter. “This is a terrible event,” the granddaughter said in a Facebook message. “I wouldn’t wish this on anyone. To people who are ready to judge I say, shame on you. This has been terrible enough for us.”

There are no recent figures, but according to safety organisation Veiligheid NL, between 2010 and 2019, five people died in the Netherlands as a result of an attack by a dog, including a baby. At least 150,000 people are bitten by dogs in the Netherlands every year.

According health institute RIVM, the Netherlands is now home to some two million dogs.

Police did not confirm the breed of the dog involved in the Rotterdam attack but they are thought to be American Bullies XL, a bulldog cross which is banned in the United Kingdom but not in the Netherlands.

The Netherlands introduced a total ban on the breed of dog known as a pitbull in 1993 but it was dropped in 2008 and replaced by new rules allowing officials to seize aggressive dogs. The ban was brought after three children were killed by pitbulls, but officials say it did not lead to a reduction in incidents.

Two years ago, MPs backed a plan by the ruling VVD to stop people from breeding and keeping aggressive dogs which have powerful jaws and can give serious bites, following an appeal by plastic surgeons, but nothing has happened since then.

The outgoing government pledged last that a register to report incidents involving dogs would be up and running by the end of this year, as well as requirement to keep dangerous dogs muzzled and on leads.