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Tourists attacked by polar bear

Two Norwegian adventurers attempting to be the first to circumnavigate Svalbard in a kayak, were attacked in their tent by a polar bear on Thursday morning, and one of them was injured.

Sebastian Plur Nilssen was pulled out of the tent by the bear and dragged 40 metres along the shore, before his companion Ludvig Fjeld managed to get out their rifle and shoot the bear.

Nilssen suffered injuries to chest, head and neck, and was taken by helicopter to the hospital at Longyerbyen, where he was operated on Thursday evening. His wounds were reported to be moderate but not life threatening.

The two 22-year-old Norwegians were travelling in two kayaks, and were attempting to be the first to kayak around the four biggest islands on Svalbard: Spitsbergen, Nordaustlandet, Edgeøya and Barents Island.

The expedition started on July 6th and was estimated to last between two and three months.

(NRK/Aftenposten)


Written by Rolleiv Solholm

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