Train kills two bear cubs in Keuruu as search team checks mother

Two bear cubs were killed when they were hit by a train in Keuruu on Wednesday evening, police said, according to Yle. A search team is checking whether their mother was injured.

The driver of a railbus saw three bears crossing the tracks near Suojärventie as the train travelled from Jyväskylä to Seinäjoki. Two of the bears were hit.

Teemu Karhunen, a detective chief inspector with the Central Finland police department, confirmed that the animals were a mother bear and her two cubs.

Police requested assistance from the Keuruu game management association early on Thursday. Its search team is looking for the mother and checking that she was not injured and left in the wild.

Karhunen said several bear collisions have recently occurred on both roads and railways in Central Finland. He said this showed that bears were active at this time of year.

Police advised people not to leave their vehicle if they hit bear cubs with a car. Instead, they should call the emergency number, as the mother may be nearby. Police and, if necessary, large carnivore authorities will handle the situation.