Polar bear attack in Alaska town kills woman, boy; animal fatally shot

A polar bear that chased residents around a small Alaska town attacked and killed two people before being shot and killed Tuesday, authorities said.

According to a dispatch by the Alaska Department of Public Safety, the attack occurred in Wales, a small community on the western tip of Alaska’s Seward Peninsula.

“Initial reports indicate that a polar bear had entered the community and had chased multiple residents,” the state Department of Public Safety wrote in its dispatch. “The bear fatally attacked an adult female and juvenile male – it was shot and killed by a local resident as it attacked the pair.”

The attack was reported to Alaska state troopers at 2:30 p.m. local time, according to the dispatch.

The names and ages of the woman and boy were not released. As of Tuesday afternoon, the state Department of Public Safety said that “next of kin notifications are still in progress.”

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