USA: Before a local could shoot and kill the bear during the attack, a polar bear entered a remote village community in Alaska and chased down and killed a woman and a young boy.

Approximately 2:30 pm on Tuesday, a polar bear reportedly entered the isolated community in Wales, Alaska, the westernmost point of the American mainland and home to about 170 people, according to police.

The Alaska Department of Public Safety issued a statement on Tuesday following the attack, saying that "initial reports indicate that a polar bear had entered the community and had chased multiple residents." An adult female and a young male were killed by the bear.

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Authorities claim that as the bear attacked the victims, a local resident shot and killed it.

Polar bear attacks are extremely uncommon, but the Alaska Department for Fish and Game reports that male polar bears can weigh up to 1,200 pounds and female polar bears between 400 and 700 pounds. They live for about 25 years on average.

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According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, "current and anticipated future declines in sea ice led the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to list polar bears as threatened under the ESA (Endangered Species Act) throughout their range." The amount of time polar bears have to hunt may be reduced by thinner summer ice and longer ice-free summer periods, which could lead to population declines.

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The next of kin notifications are still being sent out, and the identities of the victims have not yet been verified.