TOKYO, May 20 (Xinhua) -- Two police officers have been seriously injured in a bear attack in northern Japan's Akita Prefecture while recovering the body of a missing man from the local woods, local media reported.
The officers on Saturday responded to a report of a man lying on the ground in a forest in the city of Kazuno in Akita. They discovered that the collapsed man was dead and were about to transport the body when the bear attacked at around 1 p.m. local time, according to public broadcaster NHK.
The officers were in serious condition with wounds to their heads and arms, though not life-threatening, the report said.
The man, found dead in the area with gash wounds, had gone hunting for bamboo shoots in the mountains a few days earlier. It remains unclear if he died due to a bear attack.
A group of hunters and police drove to the site on Sunday to make another attempt to retrieve the body, but they turned back after determining that ensuring safety would be difficult, according to NHK.
The city government and police have closed off roads near the site to prevent the public from entering the area, calling on local residents to stay vigilant.
Akita prefectural police have urged people to keep bells and other noise-producing devices on hand to scare the bears away in case of an encounter, and not to go out at night. ■
