Bear attacks Canada primary school class, hurts several

A grizzly bear attacked a group of students and teachers on a walking path in British Columbia, Canada, injuring 11 people, two of them seriously.

The attack took place Thursday afternoon in Bella Coola, 700 kilometers northwest of Vancouver.

The local government, the Nuxalk Nation, said the “offensive bear” was on the loose Thursday evening and police and conservation officers were at the scene.

“Officers are armed. Stay inside and off the highway,” the First Nation said in a social media post.

Emergency Medical Services spokesman Brian Twaites said two people were seriously injured and two others had serious injuries.

The others were treated at the scene.

Parent Veronica Schooner said many people tried to stop the attack, but one male teacher “took all the brunt” and was among those taken from the scene by helicopter.

Schooner’s 10-year-old son, Alvarez, was among the fourth- and fifth-graders attacked and was so close to the animal that he “even felt its fur.”

“He said the bear came very close to him, but it went after someone else,” Schooner said.

He added that some of the children were sprayed with bear spray while the teachers were fighting the bear, that Alvarez was limping and that his shoes were muddy from running for safety reasons.

But his son’s thoughts were with his classmates.

“She just keeps crying for her friends and oh my god, she immediately starts praying for her friends,” he added.

Acwsalcta School, an independent school run by the Nuxalk First Nation in Bella Coola, said in a Facebook post that the school would be closed Friday and counseling would be provided.

“It’s hard to know what to say during this very difficult time. We are so grateful to our staff and students,” the post said.