Three evacuated from remote Tuva hermitage after bears approached

Two women and a man were flown out of a remote hermitage in Tuva's Todzhinsky district. All three reached Kyzyl safely, with no injuries reported.

The hermitage is 160 kilometres from the village of Toora-Khem. Tuva's hunting oversight agency said bears had repeatedly approached the dwelling and left tracks nearby. Regional authorities received a warning that the residents were in danger.

Regional head Vladislav Khovalyg ordered an interagency evacuation team. It included representatives of the Interior Ministry, the National Guard, the hunting oversight agency and the Assembly of the Peoples of Russia. They flew to the site aboard a National Guard aircraft on October 13.

The women are aged 50 and 60, and the man is 80. Vera Lapshakova, who heads the Assembly's regional branch, told Tuva Media Group that their condition was satisfactory. She said the sound of the approaching helicopter scared the bears away.