One of the two hikers attacked by a bear on Mount Frakto in the northeast Greece region of Drama has been found unconscious by rescue teams. A helicopter is expected to arrive shortly to airlift the injured man using ropes.
The rescue team—comprising members of emergency rescue services, volunteers, and firefighters—found the unconscious man approximately 150 meters down into a steep, hard-to-reach ravine.
According to his rescued friend, Dimitris Kioroglu, the bear pushed him off the cliff during the attack.
Speaking to ERTnews, Kioroglou related: “We were heading back to our cars. Christos was ahead of me. He walked to the edge to check the view—there are cliffs there. I stayed on the trail. Then I hear him call, ‘Dimitris, a bear, come see!’ I moved closer and suddenly, just 2-3 meters in front of me, I saw a huge bear charging at me. I couldn’t react in time. My dog jumped in between us, giving me 2-3 seconds to grab the pepper spray. I sprayed her. She backed off and went toward Christos, who was near the edge. She gave him a shove and he fell.”
Kioroglu added, “It was a massive brown bear. She pushed him with incredible force and speed. I was shocked. She turned to me again. I sprayed her, but I think by then the spray had run out. My dog stepped in again, shielding me. He’s trained and gave me just enough time to react.”
Kioroglou said he immediately called emergency services (112 and 166), shared coordinates, and alerted friends familiar with the terrain. He noted that it takes 2.5 hours on foot through rough, mountainous terrain to reach the nearest road.
Earlier, the mayor of the local town Paranesti, Anastasios Kayaoglou, told local news station Voria.gr, the two men—members of the Drama Runners Club—had set out to visit the wreck of a fighter jet that crashed 78 years ago in the virgin forest of Mount Frakto. But their outing took a tragic and dangerous turn.
They were accompanied by their dog and, while hiking through the forest, were attacked by a bear. Despite using pepper spray, which they carried for safety, the animal remained undeterred. In their attempt to flee, one of the men slipped and fell into a ravine.
Mount Frakto is home to rich biodiversity and wildlife, and is located near the Bulgarian border. Rising to 1,953 meters, it is part of the Central Rhodope range and the southern section of the mountain includes the Frakto Virgin Forest—Greece’s only virgin forest and one of the few left in Europe.
Access to this area is strictly regulated, especially during the breeding season of protected species like bears. Authorities believe the bear may have perceived the hikers as a threat to her cub.
