Onsen Worker Missing in Possible Bear Attack in Iwate Pref.

Morioka, Iwate Pref., Oct. 16 (Jiji Press)–An onsen hot spring facility worker went missing on Thursday in the northeastern Japan prefecture of Iwate in a possible bear attack. At around 11:15 a.m., the Iwate prefectural police were alerted by the facility, located in the Waga district in the city of Kitakami, that the 60-year-old male employee had gone missing. Upon arriving at the facility, police officers found blood on a rock near the entrance of an outdoor onsen area and under nearby fences. The police also discovered a pair of glasses belonging to the missing employee, who was on cleaning duty at the time, a single sandal and cleaning tools scattered near the fences, as well as strands of hair believed to be from an animal. The police believe that the man was attacked and dragged away by a bear. Security camera footage showed the man entering the bathing area shortly after 9 a.m., but did not show him leaving. Last week, the body of a man who had been hunting for wild mushrooms in the woods was discovered in the same district. The police concluded that the man was killed in a bear attack. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]