Airmen rescued a man who suffered “significant injuries” in a bear attack Monday west of the Interior community of Galena, a spokesman for the Alaska National Guard said.
Few details were available by Monday evening. The National Guard had not identified the victim, described the extent of his injuries, or said what kind of bear was involved. The rescue happened 75 miles west of Galena, said David Bedard, spokesman for the Guard’s 176th wing.
“A hunting partner stayed with the victim and was in contact with a good Samaritan pilot flying overhead,” the Guard said in a statement released Monday.
The Alaska Rescue Coordination Center sent a Pave Hawk helicopter and an HC-130J on the rescue mission, the Guard said.
A two-person rescue team parachuted from the HC-130 and then “hiked to the location of the injured individual, where they provided life-saving care,” according to the agency’s statement. The aircraft also transported blood that was “critical" to the patient’s survival, the Guard said.
The helicopter picked up the victim and the rescue team, and the victim was later transported to Providence Alaska Medical Center in Anchorage.