A circus tiger broke through the safety bars during its act and grabbed a 7-year-old girl's head in its mouth before attacking the girl's father.

Tang Baoguo, 43, took his daughter to the circus in Dexing, Jiangxi province, and sat in the front row.

During the show, one of the tigers became angry after being beaten by the trainer.

The tiger broke through the iron safety bars and took Tang's daughter in its mouth.

Tang rushed to rescue his daughter as the tiger dragged the little girl for about 20 meters. The tiger then let go of the girl and grabbed Tang with its claws and bit him in the head.

Later the animal trainer scared the tiger away and both Tang and his daughter were sent to hospital.

The girl is still in a critical condition. Police discovered that the circus had illegally borrowed its licenses for staging animal shows from a zoo. The owner of the circus has disappeared.