A veteran Greek hiker died Tuesday after falling into a ravine in the north of the country after a bear encounter, rescuers said.
Christos Stavrianidis was declared dead at Kavala hospital shortly after he was found in the 2,600-foot ravine in Fraktou forest in northeastern Greece, the Ekav national emergency center told AFP.
Stavrianidis was in the forest with another experienced hiker, Dimitris Kioroglou, when the incident happened on Monday.
I used pepper spray, and it headed to where my friend was and knocked him into the ravine.".
Kioroglou told state TV ERT that Stavrianidis had run out of bear spray when the "very big bear" approached him.
Slovakia has also grappled with a surging brown bear population as well as attacks on humans.
Last year, a woman died in Slovakia after being chased by a bear through dense forest and mountainous terrain. »