Bear maulings are rare in the Anchorage area, and details about what happened could help officials understand what provoked the bear.

According to Anchorage police, a female hiker told dispatchers she was about two miles into Basher Trail on Tuesday when she was “dragged off” by a bear, triggering a frantic search effort.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A brown bear attacked a woman as she hiked a popular trail in a hillside neighborhood in Anchorage, Alaska, and officials are still looking for the animal, state police said.