Bears kill 2 geologists in Russia’s Far East

Geologists at a mine in northern Russia have refused to leave their compound after two of their colleagues, who worked on a drill site, were found fatally mauled by bears near the project.

At least 30 bears have been seen wandering near the Koryakgeolgia platinum mines, run by the Russian management company Renova Group, reported London-based newspaper The Times.

The platinum project is located in the Olyutorsky district of the Kamchatka peninsula, next to the Bering Sea in Russia’s Far East.

Government officials have authorized an off-season hunt, dispatching a team of snipers to shoot the normally peaceful bears.

The arrival of the bears has halted work at the project and also kept residents of the nearby town of Khailino in their homes.

The adult male Kamchatka brown bear, one of the world’s largest, grows to about 3 metres, can weigh up to 700 kg and reach speeds of 48 km per hour.

Usually, they can be found feeding on salmon in the peninsula’s rivers. But environmentalists have blamed the bears’ increasing aggressiveness on widespread salmon poaching, which has forced them to search for food closer to human settlements.