A woman who vanished during a wedding celebration is feared to have been killed and eaten by wild bears.
Yana Balobanova, 24, made desperate emergency calls from her mobile to tell loved ones she was lost in the remote woodland in Sverdlovsk region in Russia while at a forest wedding.
Rescuers were unable to track her and even used sniffer dogs to try and find her trail but the animals became agitated when her path crossed with the smell of multiple bears, reports said.
The brown bears' footprints were also seen, leading to the theory that she was attacked.
Yana had left a friend’s small wedding party held in the forest near Severouralsk town.
One report said she had a row with another guest and went alone to find her way out of the thick trees.
Searches have continued for more than a month but with no trace of her or her remains.
Wildlife inspector Andrei Sakulin said: “It is no longer possible to hope that the woman will be found alive.”
There were footprints of a mother bear and cubs which meant the spot was “very dangerous for humans”, he said.
“If a person accidentally finds themselves between a bear and her cubs, the predator can attack immediately and harshly, without growls and warnings.
“Bears attack with lightning speed, up to 60kph (37mph) - so it is impossible to run away.
‘“At this time of year male bears also behave aggressively.”
Her remains may have been buried by bears, it was reported.
Her distraught father Yakov Balobanov told E1: “The dogs reached a certain place in the forest and came very close to the handler’s feet.”
They were fearful of bears nearby.
He added: "There are bear footprints everywhere, adults and cubs. So it is possible a bear got her. She had no experience of surviving alone in the forest."
She called the emergency services once in the evening, and a second time early next morning.
Her calls ceased and there was no trace of her.
Natalia Volkova, head of Proryv volunteer search squad, said: “We came across an old man who was picking berries in the forest…
“He remembered her because he was surprised to see a young woman there all alone.
“Search dogs picked up her smell but it has not led to anything yet.”
