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A swarm of bees attacked a group of road construction workers in Guyana on Wednesday, Oct. 22Contractors Winston Semple and Glendon Simpson were rushed to Enmore Regional Hospital after being stung multiple timesSemple, 29, was pronounced dead upon arrival, while Simpson, 40, remains in the hospital in a critical condition
A man is dead and another remains in a critical condition after being attacked by a swarm of bees while working in Guyana.
On Wednesday, Oct. 22, a group of workmen was engaged in road construction at Surat Drive, Triumph, East Coast Demerara, when a swarm of bees suddenly attacked, according to local news outlets iNewsGuyana, Guyana Times and Stabroek News.
Contractors Winston Semple and Glendon Simpson sustained multiple stings amid the attack, the outlets reported, citing the Guyana Police Force. Following the incident, bystanders rushed to assist the men, who were then taken to Enmore Regional Hospital.
Semple, 29, was pronounced dead upon arrival, while Simpson, 40, remains hospitalized in critical condition.
Bees (stock image).
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Semple’s body was later taken to the Memorial Gardens Funeral Home, where it awaits a post-mortem examination, Kaieteur News reported. Authorities are continuing to investigate the incident.
While basic first aid can often ease the pain of a bee sting, according to the Mayo Clinicthose who are stung more than a dozen times can experience a more severe reaction, which includes nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fever and lightheadedness.
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Others may develop a severe, life-threatening reaction, called anaphylaxis, which can happen up to an hour after the sting. These symptoms include rash, itching, respiratory trouble, swollen tongue, trouble swallowing and chest tightness.
The bee attack in Guyana comes just months after 24 people were left injured when the flying insects suddenly attacked in the French town of Aurillac, local authorities in the south-central French Prefecture of Cantal confirmed to the Associated Press at the time.
“All ended well,” Aurillac mayor Pierre Mathonier told French Broadcaster France 3 in July, adding that the bees may have been agitated by Asian hornets threatening a group of beehives that were installed on a rooftop terrace over a decade ago.
“The emergency services were perfectly coordinated. There was no panic in Aurillac, but a number of people were stung,” Mathonier added.
A 78-year-old man was stung 25 times, while another person went into cardiac arrest and needed to be resuscitated in an ambulance, 9 News reported at the time.
“In terms of the number of victims, the panic among the people and the severity of some of the injuries, it was impressive,” Lieutenant-Colonel Michel Cayla told broadcaster TF1, per the outlet.
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