A walk through the Frakto Forest by two friends, with the goal of reaching the wreckage of a World War II aircraft, ended in tragedy, as for one of the two experienced hikers, the excursion into the virgin forest of Drama proved fatal.

It is an unprecedented case that ended in the worst possible way when, on Tuesday morning, the body of the 61-year-old man was found in a ravine. According to the only eyewitness account in the hands of authorities, the victim ended up there following a bear attack.

The eyewitness described the attack, claiming that the animal charged at his friend, resulting in the latter falling into the ravine.

“Together with my friend Christos, we went on a day trip to the Frakto Forest and visited the aircraft he had recently found, and we began our return journey. At some point, near a peak, he went to see the view from above. I didn’t follow him because I didn’t feel the need; I walked 10 meters ahead and then heard him shout, ‘Dimitris, come see a bear,’” said the friend of the deceased hiker.

He then described how he approached the cliff edge, “because I imagined the bear was 100 meters away,” and at that moment, “he calls out a second time, ‘Dimitris, come see a bear.’”

“I got closer, trying to pass through some fir trees, and I heard something happening. The bear was six or seven meters away from Christos, it attacked him, and he sprayed it with a small spray he had with him. It ran away, came toward me, and I saw it two to three meters in front of me. I didn’t even have time to… I was truly stunned. Our dog jumped in front of me and startled it for two or three seconds, then it counterattacked. It stood upright and lunged forward. I just managed to take out the pepper spray, sprayed it, and it left,” he recounted.

According to him, the bear then went toward his friend “and hit him into the ravine, pushed him. It shoved him—either with its legs or its body, but it hit him, and he disappeared as if he never existed. I think it pushed him.” “It was a huge bear, I’ve never seen one like that. I believe it was a very large adult male,” he emphasized.

Describing the attack, he said: “At the moment it attacked him, I heard ‘oh, oh, oh,’ then the first fall—he cried out ‘ah,’ then a second fall, again ‘ah,’ and after that, I heard nothing. I don’t remember what happened next with the bear—I have a memory gap at that part, where it went or why it left.”

“I was among the fir trees because I thought it was a good defensive position. I was shouting, hoping he would respond or show some sign of life—nothing. I called 166, then 112, to give coordinates. I called friends because the area was inaccessible—you can’t reach it easily; there are cliffs, and access is only possible through certain points,” he said.
The 61-year-old’s funeral after the autopsy

The 61-year-old’s funeral will take place this afternoon at the Holy Metropolitan Church of Drama, following the completion of the autopsy on his body.

The results of the forensic examination are expected to provide answers to the lingering questions and determine the exact cause of death of the unfortunate man, who remained in the ravine for almost 24 hours until firefighters located him and transported him to the hospital, where his death was confirmed.

From the very moment the shocking incident became known, it was clear that the chances of finding the 61-year-old alive were minimal, as the ravine is approximately 1,000 meters deep and, in addition, weather conditions were difficult. This, combined with sunset and the inaccessibility of the area, made it even harder for the Hellenic Rescue Team (EMAK) and the OFKATH volunteer rescuers to provide immediate assistance.

Indicatively, the Fire Department’s emergency center was notified at 3 p.m. by the victim’s friend, who called for help. Although rescue teams immediately set out to reach the location, it took several hours to get there. The same happened with the volunteers, who located the friend of the 61-year-old, but not the 61-year-old himself. Darkness fell shortly afterward, so the search had to resume at daybreak.