Two men who were looking for fruits were seriously injured after they were attacked by a bear on a mountain on Monday.
Siem Pang district deputy police chief Khun Davy named the victims as Euy Re and En Nham, both 29, from Santepheap commune, Siem Pang district, Stung Treng province.
The men are Kavet ethnic minorities and were treated by doctors at Stung Treng Referral Hospital after their rescue.
They sustained serious injuries to their faces while one of them lost an eye in the attack. The incident took place on what villagers call Kanom Mountain, which is 3km from their houses, Davy said.
“When authorities arrived on the scene, the relatives of the victims had already sent them to the Stung Treng Provincial Referral Hospital. The villagers confirmed that it was a bear that attacked them.
“We then went to see the victims at the hospital to ask about the incident. We saw their situation had got a lot better and they were no longer on the brink of death,” Davy said.
Santepheap commune police chief Sin Sovannary said the men were lucky to have escaped alive. “They were a lot better and survived death,” he said.
Nham told police that the two went to the Mountain to pick fruits to sell at the market. When they reached the mountain, they saw a female bear with her two cubs.
“He said they did not talk or do anything to the bear and continued to pick fruits where they were. When Re was picking up a fruit, the bear suddenly lunged toward them and attacked.
“They tried to run but could not so they had to fight the bear. During the attack, Re lost one of his eyes and was bitten on the face which made it hard to recognise him, while Nham sustained injuries on his face but it was not as serious.
“Nham then made a phone call to the villagers to take them to the hospital,” Davy said.
