A grizzly bear attacked a school group on a walking trail in Bella Coola, British Columbia, on Thursday, leaving three children and one adult seriously injured.
Authorities said the bear has not yet been captured, and residents of the town on Canada’s central coast have been urged to remain indoors while search teams continue their efforts. The BC Conservation Officer Service confirmed that officers worked overnight but the animal remains at large.
The attack occurred when students and teachers from Acwsalcta School, run by the Indigenous Nuxalk Nation, stopped along a riverside trail. A grizzly suddenly emerged from the forest and charged. Teachers intervened, using bear spray and a bear banger to drive the animal away.
Paramedics treated four people at the scene before transporting them to hospital. Two remain in critical condition and two in serious condition, while seven others received care on site but did not require hospitalization, according to the Provincial Health Services Authority.
BC Premier David Eby praised the teachers’ quick actions, calling them heroic. “I want to send my heart out to the parents and kids and loved ones and everyone who has been injured and is in hospital right now and I hope for their quick recovery,” he said at a press conference Friday.
The Nuxalk Nation Chief and Council said the incident had deeply affected the community, noting that families of the injured are receiving the highest level of medical care. The school was closed on Friday as the community grappled with the aftermath of the attack.