TOKYO, Oct. 11 (Xinhuanet) -- Five elderly people were injured Monday, four of them seriously, after being attacked by bears in three prefectures of Japan, adding to a spate of bear attacks this year in many areas of the country.

    According to Japan National Police Agency, in Toyama Prefecture,90-year-old Taku Murai had his arm broken, while two others, Masatoshi Yamazaki, 77, and Shizuko Sasai, 76, sustained injuries mainly to their faces in three separate incidents Monday morning.

    Alerted by police, local hunters searched for the bears and found one about 80 centimeters in length in a nearby bamboo grove along with a smaller bear believed to be its cub.

    The hunters killed the bigger bear but the smaller bear escaped.

    Meanwhile, Kichizaemon Kimura, 73, sustained serious injuries to the head, face and left hand as he was attacked by a bear in early morning in Hyogo Prefecture, according to the agency.

    He encountered the bear in fields he owns some 70 km away from his home while watching over persimmon trees after bears recently ate fruit from them.

    In Akita Prefecture, a 63-year-old man sustained minor injuriesMonday morning while gathering mushrooms in the woods after a bearemerged and bit him on the right arm, the police said.

    The man fled to a road several hundred meters away and sought help from a passing vehicle.

    Attacks by bears have left one dead and 77 others injured in 18of Japan's 47 prefectures over a six-month period through Thursday,according to the police agency.

    Experts attribute the frequency of bear attacks to a scarcity of acorns in the mountains, partly due to the high number of typhoons that have hit the Japanese archipelago this year.

    They said more cases are expected as bears search for food, possibly turning up in residential areas, before hibernating for the winter. Enditem