Runner mauled to death by a bear while jogging through woods

06 April 2023 , 16:37

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The mauled body of Andrea Papi has been found (Image: Newsflash)

A man who was running through the woods is feared to have been mauled to death by a wild bear.

The girlfriend of Andrea Papi, 26, alerted police in Caldes, northern Italy after he failed to return home.

Alessia Gregori raised the alarm, fearing something had happened to him.

Rescue teams hours later found his badly mauled body in woodlands.

Local media reported that he was covered in wounds that 'looked like the result of a wild animal attack'.

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Mountain rescue teams and police found his body this morning (Newsflash)

Alessia Gregori raised the alarm when he didn't return home for dinner

Officials said Andrea was running on the popular trails on picturesque Mt Peller.

A number of signs have been placed around the mountain warning the public about the threat of bears in wooded areas.

Local MP Maurizio Fugatti said: "This is a moment of pain, so I believe that what is right must be done in respect of the people concerned at this particular moment.

"I was on site this morning and I was able, together with the local authorities, to see what had happened in person.

He was reported missing by his girlfriend (Newsflash)

"We then met the administrators of the municipality concerned and of the entire valley.

"The prefect was alerted and together it was decided to set up a committee for public order and safety."

On Facebook, a local trail running group posted a tribute to him.

"Andrea loved running in the woods of his Val di Sole, in Trentino," it read.

His girlfriend reposed a tribute on facebook

"Yesterday, as he always did, he went out for his daily training, but he never came back.

"They found his body full of wounds, perhaps he encountered a bear, perhaps another wild animal.

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"Andrea Papi was just 26 with a lifetime ahead of him. Fate can be profoundly cruel."

His heartbroken girlfriend re-posted the tribute on social media, included the words 'my life' .

Sam Elliott-Gibbs