BEAR ATTACKS AND INJURES FOUR PEOPLE

FUKUSHIMA, JUNE 2 /SRNA/ - A bear attacked and injured four people in northeastern Japan, and all the injured were taken to hospital and are conscious, local police and fire department officials said.

Firefighters received a call from a steel company in the city of Fukushima at 6:30 a.m. this morning about a bear attack on two workers, in their 20s and 60s.

The bear then fled to a neighboring residential area, where it attacked a woman in her 80s and then a man in his 60s in a nearby office building.

The bear is believed to still be in the area, Kyodo news agency reported.

Local police are considering declaring a state of emergency to have the animal shot. Reports of sightings of the bear have been coming in since last night.

Following these reports, classes were canceled at elementary and junior high schools in the surrounding area.