A woman was part of a tour group of 25 people camping in Sveasletta
Article Author:
Associated Press
COPENHAGEN, DENMARK — Polar bears attacked a campsite in Norway's Arctic archipelago Svalbard on Monday, injuring a French tourist, officials said, but added the injuries were not life-threatening. 36}
An unidentified woman was part of a tour group of 25 people camping at Sveathletta in central Svalbard. (500 miles) north of mainland Norway. The campsite was across the fjord from Longyearbyen, the main settlement in the Arctic Svalbard.
Authorities responded to news of the attack that came in shortly before 8:30 a.m. Chief Superintendent Stein Olav Bredli flew there by helicopter.
"A French woman injured her arm. The polar bear was frightened and left the area," he said. Details of her injuries have not been disclosed. She was taken by helicopter to a hospital in Longyearbyen.
Bredli said the polar bear was injured and "staff on the ground are considering what to do."
Svalbard is dotted with polar bear warnings. Visitors who choose to sleep outdoors receive a strict warning from authorities that they must carry firearms. At least five of her deaths have been caused by polar bears since the 1970s. The last time it happened was in 2020, when a 38-year-old Dutch man was killed.
An estimated 20,000 to 25,000 polar bears live in the Arctic.
In 2015, a polar bear dragged a Czech tourist camping north of Longyearbyen out of his tent and scratched his back before being driven off with gunshots. The bear was later found and killed by authorities.
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