(Aurillac, June 8 – Comprehensive report) A rare incident of a bee swarm attacking people occurred in Aurillac, a city in south-central France, resulting in 24 injuries, three of whom are in critical condition.
According to authorities in the French department of Cantal, the incident happened on Sunday morning when large numbers of passersby in the city center were attacked. The assault lasted around 30 minutes, with fire and medical teams quickly arriving on the scene to administer emergency aid to the injured. Police
also set up a cordon until the swarm calmed down. The three seriously injured victims were later taken to a local hospital for treatment.
Local Mayor Mathonier told France 3 television that the incident may have been related to a group of Asian hornets. More than ten years ago, a beehive set up on the roof of a city-center hotel was attacked by Asian hornets, which caused the bees to become unusually aggressive.
Mathonier said: "Fortunately, the incident was eventually brought under control, and emergency services coordinated very well." He added that one of the victims, a 78-year-old senior, was stung as many as 25 times.
Deputy Fire Chief Colonel Carra described the event as "unprecedented," revealing that one of the victims suffered cardiac arrest in the ambulance and required resuscitation.
He told France's TF1 television: "In terms of the number of injured, the confusion at the scene, and the severity of some of the injuries, this is a very rare and astonishing incident."
According to authorities in the French department of Cantal, the incident happened on Sunday morning when large numbers of passersby in the city center were attacked. The assault lasted around 30 minutes, with fire and medical teams quickly arriving on the scene to administer emergency aid to the injured. Police
also set up a cordon until the swarm calmed down. The three seriously injured victims were later taken to a local hospital for treatment.
Local Mayor Mathonier told France 3 television that the incident may have been related to a group of Asian hornets. More than ten years ago, a beehive set up on the roof of a city-center hotel was attacked by Asian hornets, which caused the bees to become unusually aggressive.
Mathonier said: "Fortunately, the incident was eventually brought under control, and emergency services coordinated very well." He added that one of the victims, a 78-year-old senior, was stung as many as 25 times.
Deputy Fire Chief Colonel Carra described the event as "unprecedented," revealing that one of the victims suffered cardiac arrest in the ambulance and required resuscitation.
He told France's TF1 television: "In terms of the number of injured, the confusion at the scene, and the severity of some of the injuries, this is a very rare and astonishing incident."