Man killed by 100-pound hive of bees

‘Several people were injured and one person has passed away due to their injuries,’ says Arizona town police about bee incident

A man has died, and five people have been left injured, after a swarm of bees attacked them after their hive was disturbed at an Arizona home, according to authorities.

The angry swarm of bees stung them after their 100-lbs hive was interfered with in a backyard in the town of Marana. According to authorities, three individuals were attacked “hundreds of times”. They also detailed that the other three people attacked were a part of the rescue team, who were said to be stung “multiple times”. Only one needed medical attention.

After four victims were taken for treatment at a local hospital, one of them, a man, was pronounced dead. His identity has not been made public by authorities.

The Marana Police Department provided an update on the situation, urging people to “use caution” while in the area of the bees’ nest, despite clearing away the nest.

“Bee handlers have killed most of the bees and have removed the hive. Although the area is much safer, there are still some lingering bees. Please continue to use caution while in the area. Several people were injured and one person has passed away due to their injuries,” their statement read on 29 July.

The Northwest Fire District, which posted about the bee attack on Twitter, provided more details about the injuries sustained by their teammates.

“Three of our firefighters were stung multiple times while dispatched on the call. One firefighter, believed to have been stung about 60 times, was taken to a local hospital for evaluation. He has been released. The other two firefighters did not need medical treatment,” the post read.

Fire authorities wrote, “We can confirm one fatality, an adult male, following this afternoon’s incident.”

Authorities also shared a photograph of a beekeeper attending to the bee hive with the following caption, “A large open hive, estimated around 100 pounds, was located in a tree nearby. More information will be released when available.”

According to CDC data published in 2019, there have been 1,109 deaths from bee, hornet and wasp stings between 2000 and 2017. Eighty per cent of the fatalities were estimated to be men.