CHATTANOOGA, Tenn., April 14 (UPI) -- A black bear in Tennessee's Cherokee National Forest reportedly attacked a family of three, killing a 6-year-old girl and injuring a 2-year-old boy.
The attack on the Ohio family occurred Thursday night and a search was underway Friday to find the bear, reports WKYT-TV, Lexington, Ky.
Witnesses were quoted as saying the bear picked up the boy in its mouth while the mother and other visitors tried to fend the animal with sticks and rocks.
At that time, the 6-year-old girl ran away but was found dead a short time later with the bear nearby, the report said.
The bear ran away after a shot was fired by a park ranger. The woman and her son were flown by helicopter to a Chattanooga Hospital, the report said. Other details were not immediately available.
Wildlife experts told the television station that a bear attack is very rare.
