Two die by falling off cliff after bear encounter in Turkey's east

KARS – Anadolu Agency

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One child and one adult died after falling from a cliff while trying to escape a bear attack in the Selim district of the eastern province of Kars on July 11.

Devran Erdem, 9, and Selma Güneş, 26, lost their lives in the incident, while Cansu Ekinci, 13, and Sevgi Erdem, 36, were injured and stranded in the mountains after the attack. 

The group was reportedly trekking during a family trip for the Eid al-Fitr holiday when the attack occurred. 

Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), the National Medical Recovery Team (UMKE), gendarmerie teams, and health and rescue personnel were dispatched to the area. They rescued Erdem and Güneş, while the deceased were taken to the Selim Public Hospital for an autopsy.  

Meanwhile, the Forestry and Water Affairs Ministry’s regional directorate has transferred a lion and bear that were left in the yard of an Istanbul shopping mall by a circus owner to a wild animal rescue and rehabilitation center in the Karacabey district of the western province of Bursa.