Kiel, Germany - German doctors have sewn on a 62-year-old woman's nose after it was bitten off by a robber.

The woman was delivering newspapers on Sunday morning to homes in the town of Neumuenster, north of Hamburg, when the unidentified assailant demanded one for free, then attacked her.

Police said she cycled to a daughter's home with the tip of her nose missing. Hospital doctors appealed to police and firefighters to search the road and gardens for the spat-out nose.

The piece was rushed to a hospital, where surgeons put it back in place.

"Under the circumstances, she is okay," said hospital spokesman Christian Zoellner. "It'll be a while though before we know if the tip of her nose is alive or not."

Police have no clues about the assailant's identity. (dpa)