Tourist Killed By Bear During Camping Trip In Russia
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A tourist has been killed by a bear during a camping trip in Russia.
Yevgeny Starkov was out with a group of mates in the Yergaki Nature Park, in the Krasnoyarsk region of Siberia recently.
The 42-year-old and his pals were packing away their tents when they were set upon by a powerful bear.
According to reports, Mr Starkov's three fellow campers watched in horror as he as mauled by the wild animal, running away with no shoes on to find help.
Due to the bad weather in the park, investigators were unable to reach the scene by helicopter.
Speaking about the horrifying incident, friend Anton Shelkunov explained that it happened at around 6am, describing how the bear suddenly appeared just 20 ft away from where they had been camping.
The 42-year-old said: "We had begun to pack our backpacks.
"There were two tents, and I turned my head to the left to
see a bear sticking out
its head, a giant one, with saliva dripping from its mouth.
"The bear roared and ran at us."
He and friends Yevgeny Dobrorodny, 33, and Pavel Zhemchugov, 32, fled in terror from the scene.
Sadly, however, their friend Mr Starkov, a tourist from Moscow, was not able to do the same.
Mr Shelkunov recalled: "I looked back, the bear was chasing us.
"We climbed up, around 50 metres (165ft) and saw the place where our tents were picked.
"We saw the body (of Starkov) and the bear standing there. It was tearing his body, gnawing it."
Adding: "Then it got distracted, began to look at us, so we climbed higher."
They looked down at Aradansky ridge and decided the only option was to carry on barefooted some seven hours to safety in order to raise the alarm.
Park director Igor Gryazin confirmed the attack.
He said: "When packing away their tent they discovered a bear...
"They all ran in different directions, and one of them...
"An accident happened with the bear, with a deadly outcome."
As a result of the tragedy, the park in the Sayan Mountains was subsequently closed to most visitors.
Russian Investigative Committee spokesperson Yulia Arbuzova said: "The tourists themselves reported the attack.
"The body has not yet been found. It is a very inaccessible area."
Wildlife supervisor Sergey Gushchin added: "Their hike was in hard-to-reach places in the area of the Nine Lakes of the Aradansky ridge."
He added that it's likely the bear had been attracted by the campers' food.
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