A 58-year-old woman has been killed by a bear in southeastern Poland, emergency services said on Thursday.
Paweł Giba, a spokesman for the district state fire service in Sanok, said a report received by firefighters indicated that a woman had been attacked in the village of Plonna. The alert was raised by the victim’s son.
Three fire crews and police were dispatched to the scene, but responders did not attempt first aid due to the severity of the woman’s injuries.
Giba said access to the site was hampered by difficult terrain and a lack of precise location details, delaying the emergency response.
Paramedics later confirmed the woman’s death at the scene.
Authorities have launched an investigation, with a prosecutor en route as officials continue to secure the area.
Poland is home to around 100 brown bears, according to 2024 government data, with roughly 80% living in the mountainous Bieszczady region where the attack occurred.
Fatal encounters with bears are extremely rare. The last recorded deadly attack in Poland took place in 2014, according to local reports.
