Brown bear mauls two men to death in Russian Far East

A brown bear has mauled two men to death on Sakhalin Island in Russia's Far East, the regional civil protection authority reported on Monday.

The incident occurred near a popular resort close to the Sakhalin capital of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk and just 50 metres away from a main road.

One of the victims was found running away from the bear seriously injured. He died from loss of blood. The second man was found in the forest. Two others had managed to escape without injury, the report said.

Hunters have been sent out find and shoot the bear.

WWF conservationists put the Russian brown bear population at around 100,000, while Russian estimates run higher.