Man killed by polar bear near Longyearbyen

At 3.50 am, the alarm went in the Sysselmanne’s office (police) in Longyearbyen: a polar bear had attacked and injured a man at the campsite. The police and rescue forces brought the man to the hospital, where he was declared dead.

The Sysselmannen have not yet released the identity of the deceased person in their press release.

Two shots were fired at the polar bear by other persons. The bear was later found dead at the car park of the airport, only a few hundred metres away.

The site of last night’s tragic events.

All other persons who were present at the camping site were brought to a hotel in Longyearbyen. The Sysselmannen’s investigations are ongoing.

Polar bears had been seen a number of times in the vicinity of Longyearbyen, such as in Hiorthhamn and near Todalen (in Adventdalen). A female polar bear with a cub was sedated on Wednesday and flown out to the north side of Isfjord. Additionaly, a single bear had been seen a couple of times in Hiorthhamn and in Adventdalen.