In a terrifying incident on a British Columbia, Canada walking trail, a grizzly bear attacked a group of students and their teachers, leaving 11 people injured — two in critical condition.
435 miles northwest of Vancouver, the attack occurred Thursday afternoon in Bella Coola. According to the Nuxalk Nation per NBC News, the “aggressive bear” remained at large into Thursday evening, with police and conservation officers actively responding at the scene. (RELATED: 12-Foot Burmese Python Captured Way More North Than They Need To Be)
According to Emergency Health Services spokesperson Brian Twaites, two victims sustained critical injuries, while two others suffered serious injuries. The remaining injured individuals received treatment directly on scene.
Veronica Schooner, a parent, stated that several people desperately tried to stop the bear‘s attack, but a male teacher “got the whole brunt of it” and was one of the individuals airlifted from the scene by helicopter, per NBC News.
A grizzly bear attack has been reported in the small, remote community of Bella Coola along the Central Coast of Canada’s British Columbia province, according to regional and local officials.
Read more: https://t.co/XDi8Q5nmJr pic.twitter.com/5tI7D24rT6
— ABC News (@ABC) November 21, 2025
Schooner said her 10-year-old son, Alvarez, was part of the fourth- and fifth-grade group that came under attack and got so close to the grizzly bear that “he even felt its fur,” per NBC News.
The mother added that teachers deployed bear spray in a bid to repel the grizzly, accidentally hitting some of the children in the chaos. Her son was left limping and his shoes caked in mud from sprinting to safety — yet his first concern was for his classmates.
“He keeps crying for his friends, and oh my goodness, right away he started praying for his friends,” added Schooner.
