Woman survives being buried alive by bear
WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT
A 55-year-old woman is in a critical condition after being attacked and then buried alive by a bear in Russia.
Natalya Pasternak was gathering wood in a forest in the Amur region on Monday when she was mauled by a female bear.
A friend who was with her at the time was able to escape and call emergency services.
According to The Siberian Times, the bear thought the woman was dead following the attack and tried to bury her body so that it could eat it later.
When rescuers arrived on scene, they were forced to shoot dead the animal after it tried to attack them.
Wildlife expert Sergei Ivanov told the government daily Rossiiskaya Gazeta the animal was very aggressive.
“It leapt towards us out of a ravine, in a rage,” he said.
Officers found Ms Pasternak after noticing her bloodied hand sticking out from underneath a pile of leaves.
"Nearby we found the woman, which the bear had already managed to cover with earth," Mr Ivanov said.
“She was conscious, with many wounds on her body, and the bear had scalped her."
The mother-of-two suffered horrific injuries to her legs and thighs and was rushed to hospital in a critical condition.
Morning news break – May 14
