Authorities report that a polar bear killed a woman and a boy in a remote Alaskan village.
The bear entered the village of Wales on the western tip of the Seward Peninsula on Tuesday afternoon and began chasing people, according to police.
It was shot and killed as it attacked the woman and boy, but the mauling proved fatal.
In Alaska, fatal polar bear attacks are uncommon, but experts predict that human encounters will increase as ice melts.
Wales is a small town populated primarily by Inupiat natives. The remote settlement, located more than 1,185 miles (1,907km) northwest of the state capital Juneau, is home to approximately 150 people.
“According to initial reports, a polar bear entered the community and chased multiple residents,” Alaska state troopers wrote in a dispatch obtained by the Associated Press.
The bear fatally attacked a female adult and a male juvenile.
Police did not release the names of the two victims because family members were still being notified.
As soon as the weather permits, police and state officials will travel to Wales to conduct additional investigations.
Studies conducted in the United States indicate that as the animal’s natural habitats diminish. The likelihood of attacks on humans increases as they move inland.
The Wildlife Society discovered in a study published in 2017 that polar bear attacks on humans have grown since 2000 and are more prevalent between July and December when sea ice coverage is at its smallest.
