Eisbär attacks a German crew member on Spitsbergen

A polar bear attacked a German member of the crew of the liner "MS Bremen" on Spitsbergen. The animal had injured the polar bear guard on his head, said Hapag-Lloyd Cruises organizer. The man had landed Saturday with other guards – but without tourists.

Earlier, a spokesman for Northern Norway's relief services said that the attack had arrived when a group of tourists had landed in a small boat on an island. , Spitsbergen is an archipelago belonging to Norway.

Ole Jakob Malmo of the Svalbard police told the German press agency that a helicopter had transported the injured person to Longyearbyen, the capital of the Arctic Archipelago. The man was approachable and out of danger, added Negar Etminan of Hapag-Lloyd Cruises. Other guards had fired on the polar bear "for reasons of self-defense". "Other crew members and pbadengers are not affected by the incident."

Police Officer Malmo said that the incident in the northernmost part of the Svalbard Archipelago was under investigation. The shot bear should be autopsied at Longyearbyen. Authorities in the region regularly warn of the danger posed by polar bears. In 2015, a polar bear wounded a Czech who wanted to observe a total eclipse. The last deadly attack of a polar bear occurred in 2011 when a British student died.

The four to five polar bear observers aboard the Hapag-Lloyd cruises are designed to ensure that pbadengers can land safely. They are specially trained and armed. The Saturday incident occurred when the guards wanted to install a ground station to secure a gateway. The pbadengers were observing the polar bears not on shore, but aboard the ship.

Cruiser Hapag-Lloyd Cruises recruits for trips to Longyearbyen with the promise that pbadengers could experience the "pure Arctic" there. "Where polar bears rule the wilderness," says the website, "nature determines the course of turbulent days." A ten-day trip with the "MS Bremen", which can take 160 pbadengers, costs at least 5810 euros. (AP)