Authorities were searching Friday for a grizzly bear that emerged from the forest in a remote part of Canada and attacked a group of 20 children and their teachers, critically injuring two people.
A total of four people remained in hospital a day after Thursday's attack in the Bella Coola area of Canada's western British Columbia province, provincial officials said.
The bear targeted children -- aged nine and 10 -- doing outdoor activities from the Acwsalcta school in Nuxalk First Nation.
Inspector Kevin Van Damme of the BC Conservation Officer Service told reporters that the teachers used bear spray to repel the attack and "put themselves in harm's way to protect the children."
"In my 34 years of experience, I have not seen a (bear) attack like this with such a large group of people," he said.
Two people suffered "critical" injuries and two were in "serious" condition, the Provincial Health Services Authority told AFP in a statement.
Authorities have not disclosed the ages of those in hospital, citing family requests for privacy.
Seven other people received care at the scene but did not require hospitalization, the provincial authorities added.
Provincial environment minister Tamara Davidson said conservation officers were in the area "attempting to locate the bear."
Authorities have urged people to stay out of the area to aid the search.
In a Facebook post, the Acwsalcta said it was closed on Friday due the attack and praised its staff for demonstrating "courage" during "an incredibly challenging moment."
- 'So close' -
Veronica Schooner told the Canadian Press that her son was in the group that was attacked but he was not injured.
"He said that bear ran so close to him, but it was going after somebody else," she told CP.
Van Damme said conservation officers had set traps in the area and were interviewing witnesses in an effort to track the bear.
He noted that conflicts with humans can increase as winter approaches.
"They're trying to get enough fat reserves to hibernate," he told reporters, noting there have been increased reports of grizzlies interacting with humans in Bella Coola.
Bella Coola has a large grizzly population but Van Damme warned against concluding the area's bears were generally getting more aggressive.
"One individual bear could increase conflicts," he said. "It's not necessarily generic across" the population.
Van Damme confirmed reports that there is an injured bear in the area, amid local speculation that the wounded grizzly was the one who targeted the group.
"But we don't know that is the offending bear in this case," he said.
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