A mountaineer who fell an estimated 1,640 feet (500 meters) down a ravine after a rare and aggressive bear attack in northern Greece was found dead on Tuesday.
A dramatic search and rescue operation was underway earlier, with teams equipped with ropes working to reach his position and assess his condition.
The incident unfolded on Sunday when two experienced mountaineers, Dimitris Kioroglou, a climber and educator, and his companion, a fitness instructor, ventured into the Frakto forest. Their objective was to visit the site of an old Greek Air Force fighter jet crash, which occurred approximately 77 years ago.
Terrifying bear attack in northern Greece
In speaking to ERT from the scene, Dimitris Kioroglou, who was mountaineering with his friend, recounted the terrifying moments of the attack. “At one point, I heard him yell at me, ‘Come on, it’s a bear!'” Kioroglou described. “I saw a very large bear that attacked me. I didn’t have time to react, but my dog got in the way and gave me 2-3 seconds to take out the pepper spray.”
He spoke of his Belgian Malinois, which displayed incredible loyalty. “As soon as he realized that my life was threatened, he stepped forward to protect me,” Kioroglou added.
The situation escalated rapidly. “Then the bear turned towards my friend, gave him a push and threw him, stood up and gave him a strong push and threw him off the cliff,” Kioroglou detailed, describing the horrific moment his friend was sent plunging into the abyss.
Kioroglou attempted to deter the animal with pepper spray, noting, “At first [my friend] sprayed her, [and] I sprayed her too, but the second time I guess the spray ran out.” He emphasized that while they had encountered bears before, this was an unprecedented level of aggression from such an animal.
Desperate search
Following the fall, Kioroglou immediately took action despite the harrowing circumstances. “I called 112 and 166 and gave the coordinates,” he stated, highlighting the critical role of emergency services and his quick thinking.
He also reached out to friends familiar with the extremely difficult terrain, noting, “It has no roads, there is nothing but hiking with uphill and downhill sections.”
On Monday, rescue teams, including elements of the Hellenic Fire Service and specialized mountain rescue units, arrived at the remote incident site. They located Kioroglou, who had managed to climb a tree to protect himself from further danger after the bear departed. It was he who, once safe, sounded the alarm with emergency services.
In a display of immense courage and concern for his companion, Kioroglou was among the first to attempt to descend into the ravine to find his friend. He managed to reach a depth of roughly 80 feet (24 meters) but, tragically, found no trace of him.
Rescue efforts intensified throughout Monday and into the night. Rescuers bravely descended to depths of 985 feet (300 meters), facing darkness and extreme danger before having to suspend operations until daylight for safety reasons.
According to Arcturos, in Greece, an estimated 450 bears are living in two independent populations, which are not geographically linked. The largest population lives on the Pindos Mountains, while the Rhodope Mountains, where the latest incident took place, are also home to quite a large population.
Related: Spectacular Return: Greece’s Bears Wake Up from Hibernation in Captivating Video
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