Slovakia: state of emergency declared in Liptovsky Mikulas after bear attack

A state of emergency was declared this Monday March 18 in a town in Slovakia, following the attack by a bear which left five people injured, including a child, a few days after the death of a woman in a similar incident.

A bear in a forest in Slovakia (illustrative photo).

Getty Images - Michal Ulicny

By: RFI Follow

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With our regional correspondent, 

Alexis Rosenzweig

The attack took place on Sunday in Liptovsky Mikulas, at the foot of the Tatra Mountains and close to popular ski resorts and hiking trails.

Filmed in part by passers-by, “

the bear attacked five people in the city center before retreating into the woods

”, according to the town hall of this town of around 30,000 inhabitants.

‼️🐻 Bear in the center of Liptovský Mikuláš #ThisIsSlovakia



🎥: Marika Trnkova Bizubova / Facebook #medved #bear #medvednica #medveď #slovensko #slovakia #liptovskymikulas #danger #wildlife #animal #bears pic.twitter.com/kx76SmFJUZ

— This Is Slovakia (@ThisIsSlovakia_) March 17, 2024

The victims, including a 10-year-old child, suffered scratches and bites of varying severity and several were treated in hospital, including a 72-year-old man.

Authorities asked residents not to venture outside residential areas as the bear was still on the loose.

Six patrols of hunters, police officers and wildlife experts are trying to locate him around this town.

A woman in her thirties died Friday after falling while trying to escape a bear in another town in the region.

A number of bear attacks have occurred in Slovakia in recent years, including a fatal one in 2021, reported at the time as the first in a century in that region.

Also read: The incredible journey of the bear Iwo in the Carpathians

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