A 61-year-old hiker was killed after being pushed off a cliff by a bear during an excursion in the Fraktos forest near Drama, according to his hiking companion who witnessed the attack.
The tragic incident occurred over the weekend.
Dimitris Kioroglou recounted the fatal encounter, saying that his friend, Christos Stavrianidis, had briefly stepped away to admire the view when he called out about seeing a bear. Mr. Kioroglou initially believed the animal was distant.
"I imagined the bear was 100 meters away," Mr. Kioroglou told Mega TV's "Live News," explaining he tried to spot it without moving.
However, Mr. Stavrianidis urged him closer.
"I realized something was happening and suddenly I see a huge bear 2-3 meters in front of me. I was truly stunned," Mr. Kioroglou said.
"My dog, who was behind me, jumped in front and stopped the bear's charge. The bear backed up a little, I managed to get out the [bear] spray and sprayed to defend us. It turned back, went to my friend, and pushed him over the cliff."
Mr. Kioroglou stated he did not see the actual push but heard his friend cry out, "Oh, oh, oh." "And suddenly I saw him hanging over the cliff. When he went over the cliff, I saw him," he emphasized, adding, "He did not slip, it pushed him."
Following the attack, Mr. Kioroglou experienced memory loss.
He remained at the scene for about two hours, calling emergency services (112 and 166) and providing coordinates.
His trained dog, Warrior, alerted him that the bear was still nearby. Once the dog stopped growling, Mr. Kioroglou cautiously searched for a path down, fearing for his own safety before special rescue units (EMAK) arrived near dusk.
Mr. Stavrianidis was located unconscious early Tuesday morning and pronounced dead.
Both men were experienced explorers familiar with the area; Mr. Stavrianidis had notably discovered the wreckage of a 77-year-old military plane in the same forest last year. Mr. Kioroglou stressed the bear was not at fault, as it was in its natural habitat, and insisted neither he nor his friend provoked or threatened it.
He credited his dog, Warrior, with delaying the initial bear charge, giving him time to deploy the deterrent spray.