Bear wanders into supermarket in eastern Japan, injures 2 customers
A bear wandered into a supermarket in Gunma Prefecture, eastern Japan, on Tuesday evening and pounced on two customers, leaving them with minor injuries, police said, Kyodo reports.
One of the shoppers who was attacked inside the store in Numata was taken to the hospital, while the bear, whose species was not immediately identified, fled the building.
According to the police, security camera footage showed that the bear appeared to be an adult about 1.4 meters long. Officers used patrol cars to warn nearby residents, urging them to stay indoors and exercise caution.
In an emergency call placed at around 7:30 p.m., an eyewitness reported seeing a bear attack a customer inside the store. The local fire department also received a call from a store employee reporting that a bear had scratched a man.
The two injured customers were both males, aged 69 and 76, respectively, the police said.
A store manager said the bear also made contact with him during the incident.
"It looked to me as if the bear was confused. It was in the store for 10 to 15 minutes. It didn't look like it was foraging," he said.
The area, about 2 kilometers from JR Numata Station near the Tone River, is dotted with houses and shops. A bear had been sighted earlier in the day about 1.5 km from the area, according to the police.
As written before, a Spanish male tourist was attacked by a bear cub Sunday morning during his visit to the scenic mountain village of Shirakawa in central Japan, according to the local government.
