Horror moment as bear rampages in street, mauls five people in brutal attack, hours after woman killed by beast in Slovakia
A woman was left dead and five others injured after two separate bear attacks just hours apart in Slovakia.
A Belarusian woman was found dead in the Low Tatra Mountains on Saturday, while five others were injured the next day by a rampaging bear just 13 kilometers away in Liptovsky Mikulas.
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Horror Footage showed a bear running through the streets of the Slovak city as it lunged at a man on the sidewalk.
In the heartbreaking clip, a pedestrian escapes the angry beast just in time by climbing over a fence.
But five other residents – not seen in the video – were less lucky and had to receive medical treatment for their wounds in hospital.
A 49-year-old woman was treated for an injury to her shoulder, while a 72-year-old man suffered a cut to his head.
A 10-year-old girl and two other adults also suffered scrapes and bruises, local authorities said.
City residents were advised not to leave the residential area because the animal was still roaming freely.
Six armed patrols hunted the bear, but police eventually drove it out of town and back into the forest.
Authorities added that thermal imaging cameras and intensive patrols were in place in high-risk areas.
The town hall said: “The bear has been pushed by rescue and security forces into uninhabited areas, where emergency teams have been tasked to eliminate it.
“We are a city among the mountains, but still a city. We cannot allow a bear to attack five people downtown in broad daylight.”
It comes just a day after a woman was killed in a separate attack in the nearby Low Tatra Mountains.
The 31-year-old was walking through the Demanovska Valley with her male friend, 29, when the two came across the predator.
The pair became separated as they ran in different directions in an attempt to escape the raging beast.
But the male hiker eventually lost sight of his female friend.
It is still unclear whether she plunged to her death or was killed by the bear.
After the mountain rescue team was alerted, a frantic search was launched using thermal imaging drones, scouring the forests and steep ravines.
The woman was later discovered by a rescue dog at the bottom of a cliff – the victim’s friend was found “scared but unharmed”.
The ferocious animal was still nearby when rescuers found the body, but was scared off by warning gunshots and barking dogs.
An investigation has now been launched into the cause of the woman’s death.
Bears are especially active in it spring because they are extremely hungry and looking for food after their long time winter hibernation.
Bear attacks are becoming more common Slovakia in recent years – with the first fatal case in centuries recorded in 2021.
The country’s brown bear population was on the brink of extinction in the 1930s, but has since recovered.
But some members of the government have campaigned to relax protections for predators such as bears as they are no longer endangered.
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