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A WOMAN was left dead and five others injured after two separate bear attacks just hours apart in Slovakia.

A Belarusian woman was found dead in the Low Tatras mountains on Saturday while five others were injured by a rampaging bear just eight miles away in Liptovsky Mikulas the following day.

Onlookers filmed the bear running on the streets of a Slovak town
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Onlookers filmed the bear running on the streets of a Slovak townCredit: BBC
Two people sustained injuries after the rampaging bear attacked them
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Two people sustained injuries after the rampaging bear attacked themCredit: BBC
A day earlier a woman was found dead in the mountains after being chased by a bear
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A day earlier a woman was found dead in the mountains after being chased by a bearCredit: Slovak Mountain Rescue Service
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Horror footage showed a bear running through the Slovak town's streets while lunging at a man on the pavement.

In the heart-stopping clip, a pedestrian escapes the furious beast just in time by climbing over a fence.

But five other residents - not seen in the clip - weren't as lucky and had to receive medical treatment for their wounds in hospital.

A 49-year-old woman was treated for an injury to her shoulder while a 72-year-old man has suffered a cut to his head.

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A 10-year-old girl and two other adults also sustained scratches and bruises, local authorities said.

The townspeople were advised not to leave residential area as the animal was still at free.

Six armed patrols were hunting the bear but the police eventually drove it out of the town and back into the forest.

The authorities added that the thermal imaging and intense patrol of the high-risk areas were in place.

The town hall said: "The bear has been pushed into uninhabited zones by rescue and security forces where emergency teams … have orders to eliminate it.

"We are a town between mountains, but still a town. We cannot allow a bear to attack five people in the centre in broad daylight."

It comes just a day after a woman was killed in a separate attack in the nearby Low Tatra Mountains.

The 31-year-old was hiking through the Demanovska Valley with her male friend, 29, when the the two ran into the predator.

The pair were separated as they ran in different directions, trying to escape the enraged beast.

But the male hiker eventually lost sight of his female pal.

It is still unclear whether she plunged to her death or was killed by the bear.

After the mountain rescue team had been alerted, a frantic search with thermal imaging drones was underway - scouring the woodland and steep ravines.

The woman was later discovered by a rescue dog at the bottom of a cliff - the victim's friend was found "scared but unhurt".

The ferocious animal was still nearby when the rescuers found the body but was scared off by warning gunshots and dog barking.

An investigation has now been launched into the cause of the woman's death.

Bears are particularly active in spring as they are extremely hungry and scavenge for food after their long winter hibernation.

Bear attacks have become more common in Slovakia in recent years - with the first fatal case in centuries recorded in 2021.

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The brown bear population of the country was on the brink of extinction in the 1930s but has since bounced back.

But some members of the government have campaigned to loosen protection on predators like bears as they are no longer endangered.

Bears are active in Spring as they search for food after hibernation
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Bears are active in Spring as they search for food after hibernationCredit: BBC
The bear attacks have become more common in recent years in Slovakia
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The bear attacks have become more common in recent years in SlovakiaCredit: Getty
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