TWO GRANDMAS ENTERED THE FOREST TO PICK MUSHROOMS — HOURS LATER, THEIR REMAINS WERE FOUND JUST 16 FEET APART

Two elderly women went into the forest to pick mushrooms.

Neither came home.

Hours later, emergency crews made a horrifying discovery in a remote area of Siberia — the remains of the two grandmothers were found buried just 16 feet apart.

Investigators believe a brown bear may have attacked both women in separate encounters, turning an ordinary mushroom-picking trip into one of the most disturbing wildlife incidents reported in the region this summer.

The victims were identified as Galina Teterina, 73, and Zoya G., 67.

Both had ventured into the forest near Podtyosovo village in Russia’s Krasnoyarsk region.

What happened next has left the area on high alert.

ZOYA DISAPPEARS FIRST

According to local reports cited by The Sun, Zoya was believed to have encountered the bear first.

The animal is thought to have attacked her and then buried her remains in the forest.

But the most chilling part of the case came afterward.

Galina apparently entered the same area only hours later.

One local theory is that the bear was still nearby when Galina unknowingly approached the location where Zoya had been attacked.

The animal may then have attacked her as well.

“She may have seen Zoya’s body or belongings in the forest,” one local source suggested.

However, investigators have not publicly established every detail of that sequence.

In particular, there has not been independent confirmation that the same bear was responsible for both attacks.

THEIR REMAINS WERE ONLY 16 FEET APART

Emergency workers eventually discovered the two women in what were described as shallow “graves.”

The locations were reportedly separated by only around 16 feet.

The proximity immediately raised the possibility that the two incidents were connected.

The discovery also gave authorities a grim indication of just how close the two women may have been when the attacks occurred.

For their families, a simple trip into the forest had ended in unimaginable tragedy.

KRASNOYARSK DECLARES HIGH ALERT

The two incidents came as Krasnoyarsk was already experiencing growing concern over bear activity.

Authorities declared a state of high alert amid increasing sightings of bears within city limits.

Officials have been forced to increase patrols and monitoring as animals increasingly venture closer to populated areas.

On the same day, an aggressive young bear was dealt with near a school in the suburb of Yemelyanovo.

Students at Siberian Federal University were also reportedly told to remain inside their dormitories because of the bear threat.

The response shows how seriously authorities are treating the growing number of encounters.

WHY ARE THE BEARS COMING CLOSER?

Local reports point to a serious shortage of some of the bears’ natural food.

Pine nuts and berries — important sources of food for bears in the region — have reportedly been in short supply.

Drought and wildfires have contributed to poor yields.

As food becomes harder to find in the forest, hungry bears are increasingly moving toward areas inhabited by people in search of alternative sources.

That creates a dangerous situation for both humans and wildlife.

People entering forests to gather mushrooms, berries or other food may unknowingly find themselves in areas where bears are searching for the same resources.

ANOTHER HORRIFIC INCIDENT LAST MONTH

The latest tragedy comes only weeks after another fatal bear encounter in Siberia.

Snezhana Korolyova, 29, was reportedly attacked while camping in Russia’s Altai Mountains.

The young woman had become engaged just one day earlier.

According to reports, she and her fiancé were sleeping inside a tent when the animal approached during the night.

The bear reportedly dragged Snezhana away from the campsite.

Her fiancé survived the encounter.

The incident became another grim warning about the growing danger posed by bears in parts of Siberia.

A FOREST THAT NO LONGER FEELS SAFE

For generations, mushroom picking has been a familiar part of life in rural Russia.

But this summer, the forest around Krasnoyarsk has become a place of increasing fear.

The deaths of Galina and Zoya have now intensified concerns about what happens when hungry wildlife comes into closer contact with people.

Authorities are urging residents to take the bear threat seriously as patrols increase and sightings continue.

For the families of the two women, however, the warnings came too late.

Galina went into the forest at 73.

Zoya went into the forest at 67.

They were simply gathering mushrooms.

Hours later, investigators were searching the same woodland for answers — and finding two sets of remains buried only steps apart.

The exact sequence of events may never be known in full.

But one thing is clear: what began as an ordinary day in the Siberian forest ended in a tragedy that has now placed an entire region on alert.