A 15-year-old boy survived a brown bear attack in Russia's Altai region after his phone exploded in his pocket, scaring the animal away. The teenager was tending to his family's beehives when he spotted the bear and climbed a tree to escape, but the animal dragged him down and attacked him.
Phone explosion scares off bear
Local media reports that the bear caused the phone to explode when it bit down on it. A witness revealed that when the animal sank its teeth into the teenager's buttock, the phone battery exploded in his pocket, frightening the bear away.
The boy was left with serious injuries and was taken to Moscow, where he underwent surgeries for brain, chest and lower body injuries. As well as injuries from the bear, the teen is understood to have suffered burns from the exploding phone.
Medical response and injuries
Sergei Kovyazin, chief physician of Biysk Central City Hospital, said: "The patient arrived with multiple injuries to his head, scalp, facial bones and neck. These injuries presented the greatest challenge."
The attack occurred around 12 miles from the remote village of Solton. Officials said the man with the boy during the attack was not injured.
Hunt for the bear
A party has been put together to hunt down the bear. Sergey Bundin, head of the Belovodye hunting reserve, said that the group will "not stop" until the bear has been shot.
A witness who saw the attack said: "I heard him scream, turned my head, and saw the bear already dragging him down from the tree, so I unleashed the dogs." Authorities said: "The young man climbed a tree, but the animal knocked him down, causing multiple bites and injuries to his body and head."
Bear attacks in Russia
The Altai region is known for its Siberian brown bear population. Reports state that Russia is suffering a bad year of deaths by brown bears, with CNN reporting at least 16 fatal encounters recorded across Russia in September. It is believed that wildfires have caused brown bears to enter human areas in search of food.
