Vicious cougar kills one, leaves another with facial injuries in El Dorado county

A cougar, also known as a mountain lion, killed a young man and left his younger brother with "traumatic injuries" to his face on Saturday, according to authorities in the United States’ California.

The two brothers were out hunting for shed antlers when they were caught up in a vicious lion attack in Georgetown, which is a remote part of El Dorado County, Fox News reported.

The county sheriff’s received a call from the younger brother, 18, on Saturday. He informed the officers that he and his older brother, 21, were attacked by the lion.

According to US media, deputies arrived around 1:30pm and found the younger brother with facial injuries.

After 15 minutes, the officers found the mountain lion over the older brother’s body.

The deputies scared the animal off by firing from their guns. The wild animal is now on the run and being searched for by wardens.

"At this time, fish and wildlife officials and contracted trappers are trying to locate the mountain lion," El Dorado County sheriff's officials said.

According to local media reports, the latest deadly mountain lion attack is the first in two decades.

While mountain lions have attacked humans previously, the last fatal encounter was in 2004 in Orange County, according to the fish and wildlife department.