Grizzly bear assaults class of screaming youngsters with a number of combating for his or her lives
A grizzly bear has attacked a group of school students and teachers in the British Columbia, leaving two people critically injured and two others seriously hurt.
Emergency services said seven more people were treated at the scene of the attack in the community about 700 kilometres northwest of Vancouver. They were called just before 2pm local time on Thursday. Veronica Schooner said her 10-year-old son Alvarez was in the Year 4-5 class as they were attacked while on a walk. She said he was so close to the animal that “he even felt its fur”.
“He was running for his life,” she said, reports Winnipeg Sun. Schooner said people tried to stop the attack but one male teacher “got the whole brunt of it”. He was one of the people rushed to hospital from the scene in a helicopter.
(Image: Getty Images)
She added her son Alvarez was “traumatised” by the attack on his friends. Three children are among those with major injuries but emergency services have not confirmed the ages of any of victims.
Schooner said: “He said that bear ran so close to him, but it was going after somebody else.” She added when she collected Alvarez after the horror he was “in shock” and his shoes muddy from the incident. “Everybody was in shock at the school,” she said. “A lot of people were crying, and I don’t know, I just wanted my son, and I grabbed him, and then I took him home.”
The “aggressive” bear is reportedly still on the loose, with police and conservation officers on the scene. Schooner said some residents were guarding roads around the community.
North District RCMP Cpl. Madonna Saunderson said she didn’t know the age or gender of the students. She described the victims’ injuries as “very serious at the very least”.
Emergency Health Services spokesman Brian Twaites said the attack happened on a trail near Highway 20, and two ambulances and a community paramedic responded. He said in a statement: “Paramedics provided emergency medical treatment to four patients and transported them to hospital. Two patients were in critical condition and two were in serious condition.”
(Image: Getty Images)
Due to challenging weather conditions in the region, emergency services requested assistance from the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre.
Jayme Kennedy, who chairs the Central Coast Regional District encompassing Bella Coola, issued a statement expressing “heartfelt support to the Nuxalk Nation” and everyone affected by the bear incident. Se said: “We are all feeling devastation as we try to understand the magnitude of the attack and navigate what has happened.”
She confirmed the regional district stood ready to provide assistance wherever possible.
Acwsalcta School, an independent institution operated by Nuxalk First Nation in Bella Coola, announced via Facebook that classes would be cancelled on Friday following the bear encounter.
“It’s hard to know what to say during this very difficult time. We are so grateful for our team and our students,” the post said.
Schooner revealed her son and fellow pupils had been affected by bear spray during teachers’ efforts to repel the animal.
She described Alvarez as a “little soccer star” and when she noticed him limping from a fall that injured his foot, she initially worried his legs might be too badly damaged for him to continue playing.
Her son’s concerns, though, remained focused on his schoolmates. She said: “He keeps crying for his friends, and oh my goodness, right away he started praying for his friends, right? Because everything was so uncertain.”
This is a breaking news story and is being constantly updated. Please refresh the page regularly with the latest news, pictures and videos.
You can also get email updates on the day’s biggest stories straight to your inbox by signing up for our newsletters.
Get all the very best headlines, pictures, opinion and video on the stories that matter to you by following Daily Star every time you see our name.
Follow Daily Star on Android – CLICK HERE
Follow Daily Star on Apple – CLICK HERE
Follow Daily Star on Snapchat – CLICK HERE
You can also sign up for Twitter alerts for breaking news by following @starbreaksnews and follow us @dailystar for all the latest updates.
Keep up-to-date with your must-see news, features, videos and pictures throughout the day by following us on Facebook at facebook.com/thedailystar.
