A farmer has been killed and partially eaten and a second man left with serious injuries to his face and arms during a horrific sloth bear attack in India.

The farmer is understood to have ventured into a wooded area of his property near the remote village of Madhugiri in Karnataka state on Monday in search of aloe vera when the attack took place.

Identified only as a 45-year-old man named Somanna, the farmer is understood to have come face-to-face with the bear and, fearing for his life, attacked it with a machete. The animal retaliated, mauled Somanna to death and then began eating his remains.

The farmer's cries for help attracted a crowd to the scene who began to throw stones in the hope of scaring the animal away from the village. The bear then charged at the crowd, seriously injuring a second man, before police arrived approximately four hours later and shot the animal dead.

---