By The Associated Press
A grizzly bear attacked a group of schoolchildren and teachers on a hiking trail in British Columbia, Canada, injuring 11 people, two of them seriously.
The incident occurred Thursday afternoon in Bella Coola, 700 kilometers (435 miles) northwest of Vancouver. The Nuxalk Nation said the “aggressive bear” was still at large Thursday evening and that police and conservation officers were at the scene of the attack.
“Officers are armed. Stay home and off the road,” the First Nation said in a social media post.
Two people were seriously injured and two others were seriously injured, Emergency Health Services spokesman Brian Twaites said. The others were treated on site.
Veronica Schooner, mother of one of the students, said many people tried to stop the attack, but a teacher “took the full brunt” and was one of the victims airlifted from the area.
Schooner’s 10-year-old son Alvarez is in the fourth and fifth grade class that was attacked and was so close to the animal that “he even smelled its fur,” the mother said.
“He said the bear was running very close to him, but another person was behind him,” he added.
According to Schooner, some children were hit with bear spray as teachers fought off the animal. Her son was limping and his shoes were muddy from running to safety, she added, noting that the minor continued to cry and pray for his classmates.
Acwsalcta School, an independent center run by the Nuxalk First Nation in Bella Coola, announced in a Facebook post Friday that classes were being canceled, adding that assistance would be offered.
“It’s difficult to know what to say during this difficult time. We are very grateful to our team and our students,” the publication notes.
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This story was translated from English by an AP editor using a generative artificial intelligence tool.
