Teenage worker at Swedish animal park dies after bear mauling

An employee at one of Europe's largest animal parks has died of bite wounds after being attacked by a bear.

The entrance to Orsa Rovdjurspark, the animal park where a bear attacked and killed a teenage worker. Picture: Ulf Palm/TT via AP

The 19-year-old man was cleaning an enclosure at the Orsa Rovdjurspark in northern Sweden when a brown bear that had dug its way under a fence mauled him.

The employee was rushed by helicopter to hospital, where he later died.

Four visitors, described as a family, witnessed the attack but were unharmed.

Park spokesman Sven Brunberg said the two-year-old bear was euthanised after the attack.

The Orsa Rovdjurspark, 330 kilometres (205 miles) north of Stockholm, has animals including different species of bears, leopards, lynxes and wolves.

The park said on its Facebook page it would be closed for the rest of day.