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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Polar Bear Kills Norwegian Woman

Compiled From Wire Services

A polar bear attacked and killed a Norwegian woman hiking with a companion in the remote Svalbard Islands on Thursday.

The attack occurred near Longyearbyen, about 800 miles north of the Arctic Circle, Deputy Gov. Jan-Atle Hansen said by telephone.

The victim was identified in news reports as Nina Olaussen, 22, of Oslo.

The second woman escaped and ran to the village for help. The bear charged rescuers and was shot and killed, Hansen said.

At least 2,000 polar bears, which can weigh up to 880 pounds each, roam the glacier-covered islands. Some have become bold enough to enter Longyearbyen, a mining town of about 1,100 people on the main island of Spitsbergen.