Photos show a child being helped to stand on the animal.

A loggerhead turtle discovered on a beach in Lebanon suffered life-threatening injuries when tourists dragged it from the water to take photos.

The creature was swimming at Havana Beach in Beirut when a beach-goer pulled it out of the sea and threw it onto the shore, according to environmental organisation Green Area International.

A crowd gathered around to take photos, with one photo showing a child stepping on the animal.

Green Area The turtle is dragged from the water.

Another witness said they saw the turtle being beaten with a stick, The Dodo reported.

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Jason Mier/The Dodo The dent left in the turtle's head after it was allegedly beaten.

The turtle was rescued by passers-by and picked up by animal charity Animals Lebanon, where it is currently being rehabilitated.

It is undergoing a course of antibiotics because of its injuries, executive director Jason Mier told The Dodo.

"The turtle has a very evident spot on his skull, the very top of his head, where he has been hit. There is a noticeable depression in the head where the bone has been damaged and sea water is able to enter the bone."

Loggerheads are considered endangered, as they are prone to becoming caught in shrimp trawl nets, on longline hooks and in fishing gillnets, according to WWF.

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