Solar eclipse tourist attacked by polar bear

A polar bear attacked a tourist on an island where thousands of people were planning to watch the solar eclipse on Friday.

The victim – part of a group of six on a snow scooter and ski tour – was flown to hospital by helicopter after the bear was shot.

The man suffered injuries to his face and arm, but his life was not in danger, a police spokesman said.

The nationality of the injured man is not yet known.

Another member of the group was hospitalized with frostbite that was not related to the attack on Svalbard, an Arctic island off Norway.

The Norwegian Arctic islands of Svalbard, about 800 miles (1,300 km) from the North Pole, and the Faroe Islands to the south are the only places on land from which viewers can see the moon completely block the sun.

A partial solar eclipse will be visible in parts of Africa, Europe and Asia. As the sun sets, solar energy production in Europe will briefly pause.

Svalbard has warned tourists of the danger of bears and of freezing temperatures, expected to be around -18C on Friday with partly cloudy skies.

The archipelago, which has a population of about 2,500, is expecting about 2,000 visitors for the eclipse, while the Faroe Islands are expecting about 8,000 visitors to bring their population to 50,000.

“It’s an ever-present danger,” said Ronny Brunvoll, head of Visit Svalbard, about the risks of a polar bear attack.

“Safety is number one, two and three.”

A Bear killed British teenager Horatio Chapple 17, on Svalbard in 2011, the most recent death.

On average, three bears are shot in self-defense by people on Svalbard every year.

Brunvoll told Reuters that the number of overnight guests for the eclipse was the highest in Longyearbyen’s history – well above the number coming for a popular Arctic ski marathon.

Hotels have been fully booked for years and many private homes have rented rooms.