Horror as teenage tourist is attacked by a bear which then drops her 100 metres off a cliff, where she dies in front of her horrified friend, while hiking in Romania

A teenage tourist has died in a bear attack after the enraged animal dragged her and dropped her 100 metres off a cliff while she was hiking with her boyfriend in Romania.

The 19-year-old girl, whose name has not been released, was hiking in the Bucegi Mountains in central Romania, near the city of Brasov, on Tuesday when she was attacked by the bear in front of her shocked partner.

According to the victim’s friend, the bear first grabbed the teen’s leg and pulled her off the trail, then threw her 100 meters down a cliff.

When rescuers arrived on the scene, they saw the snarling beast circling the body. The ‘aggressive’ predator tried to attack them and was then shot dead.

The victim’s friend, whose identity has also not been revealed, witnessed the horrific attack but was unharmed.

He told Stirile Pro TV that he and his girlfriend were climbing to Spumoasa Waterfall when the bear appeared on the trail.

Pictured: A bear in the mountains of Romania. On Tuesday, a 19-year-old woman was attacked and killed by a bear in Romania

The attack took place on Tuesday in the Bucegi Mountains in central Romania, near the city of Brasov.

Pictured: Dragon’s Ridge in the Bucegi Mountains, where Tuesday’s bear attack took place

He said: ‘It was unexpected. I tried to scare the bear, but the accident happened. I would have preferred it to have been me.’

He managed to save himself, the report said, and was found in shock when rescuers arrived.

Speak with CNN Antena 3President of Salvamont Romania, the country’s mountain rescue service, Sabin Corniou said: ‘According to the information we have, the bear attacked the young woman on the path, dragged her into the vegetation next to the path and somewhere in that vegetation dropped her into a crevice and fell there. The bear came after her.’

“My colleagues fell into the abyss, where the victim unfortunately sustained injuries that are incompatible with life,” he added.

In a conversation with another medium: EuropaFMCornoiu said: ‘This is a situation we have not encountered before. […] We have experienced situations where animals came, threatened us, demanded food and showed themselves to receive something.

“But here it seems that we are already talking about a direct attack, and this is not typical for bears. It needs to be looked at exactly what the influence was. Maybe the heat, maybe a disease that the animal is suffering from.

“We need to find out exactly what has changed behavior so radically that we get such events.”

Meanwhile, Romania’s prime minister will convene lawmakers for an extraordinary parliamentary session to explore ways to prevent bear attacks following the tragedy.

Romania is home to the largest population of brown bears in Europe, with an estimated 8,000 outside Russia.

Marcel Ciolacu told reporters on Wednesday that he would recall politicians from the recess, which begins in late June and lasts until early September.

He did not indicate when the extraordinary session would take place, but said the aim was to agree measures targeted at high-risk areas.

“There will be no free fall on bears in Romania,” he said.

Local media have regularly reported bear attacks on people and livestock, with most cases resulting in injuries rather than deaths.

The environment minister said in March that 26 people have been killed by bears in the past 20 years.

In 2021, a government decree gave city and town governments the authority to shoot bears that enter people’s yards and homes if attempts to chase away or relocate the bears fail.

Animal rights activists criticised the decision at the time, saying authorities had not done enough to implement other preventive measures, including electric fences and better management.

They have also said that attacks have increased due to human behavior, as the animals’ habitats are threatened by construction, logging and climate change. Many bears are also attracted to garbage dumps on the outskirts of cities and to food left behind by tourists.

The latest bear attack in Romania comes after a British woman was attacked by a bear while visiting the country. Her injuries were not life-threatening

The Scottish tourist, 72, was driving along a mountain road in Romania when she came across two bears

After deciding she wanted to take a selfie with the bear, she rolled down her car window, but one of the predators had jumped up on its hind legs

According to government figures, there are approximately 8,000 brown bears in the Romanian Carpathians. It is the second largest bear population in Europe after Russia.

The World Animal Foundation said that between 2016 and 2021, 14 people were killed and 158 injured by bear attacks in Romania.

The attack comes just months after an elderly British tourist was attacked by a ferocious bear after she rolled down her car window to take a selfie during a visit to Romania.

The 72-year-old Scottish woman was driving along the Transfăgărășan mountain road in Argeş county on April 22 when she came across two bears.

As she stopped to take a photo of the impressive predators, one of the bears jumped up on its hind legs right in front of her vehicle.

The tourist bravely rolled down her window to get a better look at the creature, while holding her phone ready for the photo.

But in a gruesome turn of events, the bear lunged forward and injured her right arm.

Her traveling companion quickly hit the gas pedal as the pair fled the horrific scene, in a desperate attempt to avoid further attacks.

The woman was taken to a nearby hospital after the brutal attack in the Carpathians.

However, her injuries were not life-threatening.

Romanian Environment Minister Mircea Fechet is calling for higher quotas for shooting bears to prevent brutal attacks.