Chamoli: The woman who had gone missing was found in the forest with serious injuries from a bear attack; she survived the night by hiding beside a tree

On Wednesday, a woman from the Pokhri development block went to the nearby forest to collect grass, but she did not return home, causing great concern among her family and villagers. When she failed to come back even after several hours, the locals realized something was wrong and immediately began searching the surrounding forest area. Despite their efforts, nightfall made the search difficult, and the operation had to be halted temporarily. At dawn, the villagers, along with the forest department team, resumed the search with renewed determination. After covering a considerable stretch of the forest, they finally discovered the missing woman lying on the ground in a severely injured condition. It became evident that she had been attacked by a bear. The injuries on her face were particularly grave, suggesting that the bear had mauled her with great force. According to the rescuers, she had spent the entire night leaning against a tree, trying her best to stay conscious and protect herself despite the pain and fear. The injured woman was identified as 42-year-old Rameshwari from Paw village. She had gone to the forest earlier that day to gather grass for her cattle, something she did regularly. When she did not return by evening, her family alerted the villagers, leading to a joint search effort by the local residents and forest officials. Their persistence paid off the next morning when they finally located her. After being found in such a critical state, she was immediately carried out of the forest and rushed to the nearest hospital for urgent medical treatment. The community expressed shock over the incident, as attacks of this severity are relatively rare in the area. Local authorities are now assessing the forest zone to ensure the safety of residents who frequently enter the woods for daily chores.