A young woman was killed in a bear attack in Russia’s Altai Republic, with the prosecutor’s office conducting an investigation into the incident.
“They were staying at a tourist camp in a tent. A bear came, dragged the woman out of the tent and carried her into the forest. The predator mauled parts of her limbs and buried her remains. The woman died. Local residents tried to intervene, but the bear charged at them, and no one could do anything to help,” emergency services told TASS.
A local resident, whose account was quoted by the portal NGS22.RU, said other tourists rushed to the scene after hearing the screams, while a gamekeeper and police officers arrived soon afterward.
“They were shooting, but the animal wasn't afraid. It wouldn't give her up and drag her across the river. Her boyfriend was in shock — he had proposed to her only the day before. [...] What angered people most was that, even though they had the opportunity to kill the man-eating bear, the officers were firing into the air, citing a ban on shooting at a target within a populated area. How does that make sense?”
Tourist Killed Near the Biya River
The victim was identified by the portal as 29-year-old Snezhana. She had come to Altai from Novosibirsk, where she worked as a secretary at one of the courts.
The incident occurred at night on the banks of the Biya River near the Istok tourist camp. After the attack, authorities introduced an enhanced-readiness regime in the area and began considering a curfew.
Another Bear Attack Reported in Kemerovo Region
Another bear attack occurred near Mezhdurechensk in the Kemerovo Region. A man returning from a fishing trip managed to fend off the animal. He was taken to hospital by helicopter, the regional clinical centre for disaster medicine told Interfax.
“This is remote taiga. Our rescuers and hunters do not have the authority to go into the forest and shoot the animal,” the local administration told the agency.
Following the fatal attack in Altai, the administration of the Artybash rural settlement plans to introduce a curfew as authorities take additional measures to protect residents and tourists from further encounters with the bear.
