A three-year-old boy was stung to death by a swarm of killer bees after disturbing a nest outside the family home.
The agonising attack happened when victim Marcos Suarez Medina apparently aggravated the swarm on the patio in Arjona, Bolivar, Colombia, on 17th December.
Officials say the bees were Africanized bees, a hyper-aggressive crossbreed.
Tragic Marcos died later in hospital, where medics also treated him for the inhalation of a powerful insecticide, which family members had used to get the bees off his face.
One of his cousins whose identity was not disclosed by media, said: “No one knows if the boy maybe leaned on the fence and moved it, or if someone nearby or an animal disturbed them [the bees].
“The truth is that at that moment my little cousin was nearby and they attacked him. It was a large number of bees.”
His family rushed him to the local Arjona municipal hospital, where medics described his condition as critical.
He was then transferred to the Napoleon Franco Pareja Children’s Hospital, in the city of Cartagena.
Hospital Director Hernando Pinzon, said: “The relative in his eagerness, unaware of the toxicity of the product sprayed the product on [Marco] to get rid of the bees.
“[This] situation caused the minor to be poisoned.”
Pinzon claimed that Marcos had inhaled large quantities of organophosphate, which is the active component of the contact insecticide used, and added: “He arrived in anaphylactic shock.
“Immediately upon arrival, he was admitted to the intensive care unit, where he was placed on assisted ventilation for respiratory deterioration. “
The director explained that doctors fought for five days to save his life, and added: “Due to compromised kidney function, he required hemodialysis. Unfortunately, he passed away.”
The subspecies also known as the ‘killer bee’, which is a crossbreeding of the East African lowland honey bee and various European honey bee subspecies is reportedly a great danger to humans as it attacks in swarms.
Multiple sources claimed that they are much more defensive than other varieties of honey bees, and react to disturbances faster than European honey bees.
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Story By: Georgina Jadikovska, Sub-Editor: Marija Stojkoska, Agency: Newsflash
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