US woman killed by bear that dragged her from tent in Montana

US authorities are searching for a grizzly bear that killed a woman in Montana after dragging her from her tent in the middle of the night.

Leah Lokan, a 65-year-old nurse from California, had stopped over in the town of Ovando during a cycling trip.

During the attack on Tuesday, her fellow campers used bear spray to force the animal out of their camping site.

Wildlife and law enforcement officials are sweeping the area and say they plan to kill the bear if they find it.

A private air rescue service, Two Bear Air Rescue, is using infrared technology to locate the animal, according to Montana's Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) agency.

Traps have also been laid in the area near a chicken coop where the bear killed and ate several chickens the same night.

Investigators believe the animal weighs roughly 181kgs (400lb). Its DNA has been recovered at the scene of the attack, and it will be compared with that of any bear that authorities trap.

A friend of Ms Lokan's, Mary Flowers, told AP news agency that Ms Lokan had taken long-distance bike trips in the past. On this latest journey she had been accompanied by her sister and a friend.