A circus bear killed one person and injured another during rehearsals for an ice-skating show.

The bear, which was part of the Russian State Circus, killed Dmitri Potapov, 25, a circus director who was visiting the show in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan. An animal handler who tried to stop the attack suffered bruising to the brain and lacerations to his scalp.

It is unclear why the bear, which was wearing ice skates at the time, attacked Mr Potapov. The bear was later shot by police.

Deadly attacks are rare in the country’s circuses, which often train bears to wear skates and play ice hockey.