A Montreal woman died Wednesday night after being mauled by a bear near La Tuque, Que.

Alexandrina Gavriloaia-Bunduc, 46, was with her husband clearing brush in a wooded area about 50 kilometres southwest of the northern city when she was attacked by the bear.

Her husband was able to free her from the bear's grip and get her to his car, provincial police said.

But on their way to the hospital, he drove into a ditch.

The couple was taken to hospital by ambulance, where the woman was declared dead.

The man was slightly injured and was treated for shock, police said.

High number of bear sightings

An autopsy will be performed on the woman to determine whether the bear attack or the car accident caused her death, but police said the bear attack left the woman with very serious injuries.

The provincial coroner's office has also opened an investigation into the incident.

Quebec wildlife officials are now trying to locate the bear.

There has been an unusually high number of bear sightings in the La Tuque area this summer because of a scarcity of traditional food sources, officials said.

Bad weather has affected berries, a staple in the bear diet, which has made the animals bold and desperate.

La Tuque is north of Shawinigan.