A sleeping tourist in Norway was attacked by a polar bear near a popular ski resort after the animal shredded his tent and pulled him out by his arm, he said.
“I woke when the bear stood on top of me. It went straight to my head,” Jakub Moravec, 37, told Norwegia’s media outlet NRK.
The Czech native, who was on a skiing tour in Svalbard with six other people, escaped the terrifying encounter with only cuts to his face and arm, he said.
The bear, which has been spotted in the area in the last few weeks, was shot by a tourist and was later killed by authorities.
“I did not have to think so much. I was initially scared afterwards when the bear was shot,” Moravec told NRK.
The mountaintop area has been heavily populated by tourists hoping to sneak a glimpse of the total solar eclipse slated for Friday.
People have flown in from several countries, including Japan, Britain, France and the Netherlands to see the rare nature event, authorities said.
Longyearbyen Mayor Christin Kristoffersen said she hopes the attack is a “wakeup call” for tourists camping out to see the eclipse.
With News Wire Services
