Horror as Woman Dragged from Tent and Mauled by Bear a Day After Getting Engaged

A romantic camping trip turned into a nightmare after a 29-year-old woman was reportedly dragged from her tent and killed by a bear just one day after getting engaged.

Snezhana Korolyova was camping with her fiancé in Russia’s Altai Mountains when the attack happened in the middle of the night.

According to local reports, the bear tore into the couple’s tent around 1 a.m. and dragged Korolyova away as she screamed.

Witnesses said the animal mauled her, carried her across the Biya River and then appeared to begin burying her body in the forest.

Other campers desperately tried to distract the bear while police and local gamekeepers responded.

Witnesses claimed authorities fired shots into the air instead of directly at the animal because of restrictions on shooting in populated areas.

One witness, identified as Alina, said the bear did not appear frightened by the gunfire.

“They were shooting [in the air], but it wasn’t frightened,” she said.

“It wouldn’t give her up and… dragged her across the river.”

The attack was made even more heartbreaking by reports that Korolyova’s boyfriend had proposed to her just one day earlier.

“Her boyfriend is in shock, he had only just proposed to her,” Alina said. “It’s horrific.”

Some locals also questioned why the couple had camped near the river in an area where bears are known to roam.

“Tourists have no fear — they know bears roam around the headwaters, yet they pitched their tent in the corner beside the river,” Alina said.

She also criticized the response from authorities.

“What infuriated people most was that, despite having the opportunity to kill a man-eating bear, the uniformed officers fired into the air,” she said.

Another witness claimed she and her sister may have encountered the same bear the night before at the nearby Istok holiday campsite.

“We came face to face with it,” the woman said.

She said her sister fell to the ground and crawled toward a hut while a passing driver intervened.

“A man who happened to be driving past saved her. What a hero,” she said.

According to the witness, the driver shined his headlights at the bear and even struck it with his vehicle as the animal crossed the road.

Following Korolyova’s death, officials declared a 10-day state of high alert in the village.

Tents have also reportedly been banned from the area while authorities search for the bear.

As of the latest reports, the animal remained on the loose.

A local hunting official said the bear population in the area has been rising and blamed shorter hunting seasons and a shortage of food in the wild.

“The hunting season was shortened to 30 days,” the official said. “Because of this, the bear population has begun to increase.”

The official added that a lack of natural food may be pushing hungry bears closer to people.

The Altai Republic prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation into Korolyova’s death.