By Holger Mehlig

USA - A man has been fatally injured in a hunting accident in the US state of Virginia under extremely unusual circumstances.

One of his hunting partners shot a bear that had fled up a tree, whereupon the heavy animal fell on the 58-year-old, reported the newspaper "USA Today", citing the responsible wildlife authorities.

The accident had already occurred on December 9 in the district of Lunenbourg.

According to the investigation, the bear had been chased by a group of hunters and climbed the tree before one of the hunters shot it.

The animal then plunged down and fell onto the other man, who was standing three meters away from the tree.

A spokeswoman for the wildlife authority told the newspaper that the seriously injured man was taken to hospital and died there on Friday.