Missing Alaska hiker found injured after suspected bear attack

Fina Kiefer was treated in a local hospital for her injuries

Several campers were also attacked by a bear over the weekend (Getty Images)

An Alaska hiker who went missing after calling her husband to say she had been charged by bears was found on Wednesday after walking out of the woods, state troopers said.

Fina Kiefer, 55, was being taken to a local hospital for treatment of her injuries, the Alaska State Troopers said in a written statement.

Ms Kiefer emerged onto a road about a mile from the trailhead where she had gone missing and was helped by a volunteer searcher, according to the troopers. No further details were released.

The search was launched after Ms Kiefer phoned her husband for help on Tuesday, saying she had been charged by “multiple bears” and that she had discharged bear spray at the attacking animals.

Soon after her call for help, Ms Kiefer stopped responding to phone calls and text messages, the troopers said.

The troopers, the Alaska National Guard, volunteers and search dogs have since been scouring the trail area at Pioneer Peak, about 40 miles northeast of Anchorage.

Over the weekend a bear mauled sleeping campers in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. The campers were attacked in their tent at about midnight on Saturday, said Leah Eskelin, a refuge ranger.

The injured campers got quick help from other campers in the area and were able to leave the area, she said.

Reuters