A young woman hiking alone in a national park in Canada’s easternmost Nova Scotia province died overnight after being attacked by two coyotes, officials said yesterday.

The 19-year-old Toronto woman was hiking along the Skyline Trail in Cape Breton Highlands National Park, described in brochures as a seven-kilometre loop for “intermediate” hikers, leading to a whale lookout.

Police found the badly injured woman after receiving an emergency call from other hikers who heard her screams on Tuesday, said Brigdit Leger, a spokeswoman for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

She was airlifted to hospital, but later died of her “very, very serious” injuries, Ms Leger said.

Two coyotes at the scene were “extremely aggressive” when authorities arrived, she said. Both animals fled into the woods after police fired a shot at one, possibly injuring it.

One of the animals was eventually tracked down and killed by wildlife officials. The trail is now closed as authorities hunt for the second animal, said Germaine Lemoine of Parks Canada.

Coyote attacks are “very, very rare,” she said. “Coyotes are normally afraid of humans. This is a very irregular occurrence.”