The Victims Were Women in Their 70s
One Member of the Group Remains Missing
In Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, a group of women in their 70s who were foraging for mushrooms were attacked by a bear, resulting in one fatality and another woman reported missing.
According to local police and media outlets such as NHK on October 3, the victims were collecting mushrooms near Mount Kurikoma in Kurihara City, Miyagi Prefecture, around 1:30 p.m. that day. The group consisted of four people, who had split up to search for areas with abundant mushrooms. It is believed that, during this time, some members encountered a bear.
An officer from the northern region of Miyagi Prefecture told NHK that "one woman has died, and another remains missing." While police are investigating the exact cause of death, local media reported that one of the group members called the police, stating, "A woman was attacked by a bear." NHK reported that authorities believe the injuries found on the body were consistent with a bear attack. Prior to this incident, there had already been multiple bear sightings reported in Miyagi Prefecture, prompting authorities to issue a bear warning in the area.
Suspected Bear Attack Victim Found Dead in Nagano Prefecture
Separately, in Nagano Prefecture, the body of a 78-year-old man was discovered with multiple claw marks, and police suspect he was also killed by a bear. The man, who regularly foraged for mushrooms in the mountains, had gone missing after failing to return home on October 2. On the morning of October 3, a search party of 30 police officers and firefighters found his body in a steep forested area. The body had scratch-like wounds on the face, neck, and other areas.
Recently, bear-related fatalities and injuries have continued to occur in Japan. In August, a man in his 20s went missing after being attacked by a bear while descending Mount Rausu in Shiretoko, Hokkaido, with a friend. He was found dead the following day. The cause of death was determined to be massive bleeding due to multiple traumatic injuries across his body. Numerous signs of bear activity were found at the search site, raising concerns for the safety of rescue workers. During the search, authorities killed three bears-one adult and two cubs. This was the first deadly bear attack in the Shiretoko mountain region in 63 years. In response, authorities immediately closed the hiking trails, issued warnings to residents and tourists, and restricted access to the area to prevent further incidents.
Earlier, in July, a resident was killed in a bear attack in a residential area of Hokkaido. On September 12, the victim in Fukushima Town, southern Hokkaido, was a 52-year-old male newspaper delivery worker. A witness at the scene stated, "When I opened the front door, I saw a bear attacking a person right in front of me." This was the first fatal bear attack in an urban area of Hokkaido since 2006. The bear, estimated to be a male about 208 centimeters long, weighing 218 kilograms, and around 8 to 9 years old, was subsequently killed.
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