A wild bear that had just escaped from a trap attacked an elderly man in an apple orchard in the city of Nagano, seriously injuring him, police said.

Toyoaki Kamisawa, 71, who lives near the orchard in the Wakahoshina district, received injuries to his head from the bear's claws at around 7:50 a.m. Sunday after the bear escaped the trap, the police said.

The bear apparently knocked the lid off the trap as it violently tried to get out of the drum-shaped device.

The bear, measuring 150 cm to 160 cm, headed off toward a mountain, according to the police.

In recent months, bears have been eating apples in the orchard, and locals have set traps to protect the crop.