A swarm of African killer bees stings six people to death, including a mother and child, after a bus plunges into hives in Nicaragua.
The unfortunate incident occurred during an hour-long journey from Jinotega to San Sebastian de Yali on Monday, May 9.
The bus skidded off the road and crashed into a 160-foot-deep slope where the beehives was were located.
Around 60 passengers were on board the vehicle as it travelled from Jinotega to San Sebastian de Yali when it came off the road and crashed in an area where honeybees were being kept in beehives, local media reported.
The killer bees attacked 45 of the 60 passengers and Herrera, health officials said.
According to the New York Post, the bus reportedly suffered a mechanical problem, plunging 165 feet down the ravine, and ending up in a coffee plantation.
All passengers survived the initial crash, but the bus disturbed a swarm of killer Africanized bees.
The passengers were stung repeatedly by the angry insects, with six having reportedly succumbed to the attack.
State television channel 8 reported that area residents tried to rescue the trapped passengers, but stopped their efforts because of the presence of the bees.
The dead include Reyna Isabel Olivas Montalvan, 84; Santos Arnulfo Calderon Castellon, 38; Dilcia Flores Amparo, 32; and Kenia Jazmin Soza Bonilla, 19.
Also among the dead were Eneyda Torrez Zelaya, 47, and her 8-year-old daughter, Andrea Carolina.
At least 14 passengers, including a four-year-old Justin Rivas and Alma Rivas, who is pregnant, were hospitalized at a clinic in San Sebastián de Yalí and a hospital in Jinotega.
According to the Smithsonian, Cross-bred Africanized bees are considered to be much more harmful than single-breed honey bees since they may sting up to ten times more and react to disturbances ten times faster.
