A grizzly bear attack in Canada leaves two hikers in hospital, one in critical condition

toronto – A grizzly bear attack on a popular trail left two hikers hospitalized in British Columbia, Canada, over the weekend. Both hikers were flown to Prince George’s Airport and then taken by ambulance to a regional hospital, one of them in critical condition, according to CBS News partner CBC News.

British Columbia Emergency Health Services did not immediately respond to CBS News’ request for an update on the hikers’ conditions on Tuesday.

The British Columbia Conservation Officer Services confirmed the attack occurred in the Mount MacGregor area, northeast of Prince George, in a statement posted on Facebook. The agency shared a photo of two helicopters hovering over the track during the rescue operation.

Brian Tweets, a spokesman for the British Columbia Paramedic Service, said emergency paramedics aboard an air ambulance that rescued the hikers treated both patients, one in critical condition and the other in stable condition.

Hiking trails in the area have remained closed since the attack, and the investigation into the incident continued on Tuesday.

Bear attacks on humans are rare, but they can be serious, even fatal.

North American grizzly bears are found mostly in Alaska and across the border in western Canada, but their range extends as far as Yellowstone National Park, where one American hiker was He was attacked and seriously injured Just last month.

A woman was killed in A Grizzly bear attack Just west of Yellowstone in 2023.

In August, a bear had just attacked a woman Outside her home in AlaskaWhich resulted in her being seriously injured. the The family said She “simply went out for a run” when the bear attacked her and dragged her about 100 feet down the road onto a neighbor’s property.