Russian teen survives Altai bear attack after phone battery explodes
A 15-year-old boy in Russia's Altai region survived a bear attack in the most unexpected way: his smartphone saved him.
While trying to escape a charging bear, he climbed a tree but was pulled down.
In the struggle, the bear bit into his phone, which made the battery explode, scaring the animal off.
Teen hospitalized with burns and injuries
Even with his quick thinking (and some accidental tech luck), the boy suffered serious head and neck injuries, plus burns from the battery blast. He was rushed to Biysk Central City Hospital and Moscow for treatment.
Officials believe wildfires may have pushed the bear closer to human settlements and are searching for it now.
As Sergey Bundin, the head of the Belovodye hunting reserve, put it, "We're doing everything we can and won't stop until we've shot this bear."