|
|
Follow us
Multiple children injured after swarm stings kids playing under tree, Pretoria
Numerous children were injured after a swarm of bees stung kids playing under a tree in Soshanguve, Pretoria on Tuesday, 25 October 2022. Shawn Herbst, media liaison officer at Netcare 911, said, “At 11h04 Tuesday morning, Netcare 911 responded to bee stings at a primary school in Soshanguve, Pretoria. Reports from the scene allege that a small group of scholars had agitated a beehive on a small tree in the courtyard.”
He added, “It is believed that the swarm of bees had rapidly turned into a cloud, stinging children in the courtyard and those walking to class. When medics arrived on scene the Gauteng Provincial Government ems was already on scene triaging the patients. Medics assessed the children and found that approximately one-hundred and sixty-one children had sustained minor to moderate injuries from exposure to bee stings.” “All the patients were treated on scene and once stabilised were transported to hospital for further assessment”, said Herbst. In a separate incident a number of golfers were attacked by a swarm of bees at the Durbanville Golf Course in Cape Town on Monday and were in the process of being discharged from hospital. Several players suffered serious stings from the insects who had become agitated when their hive was being inspected. In a statement, the golf club said a beekeeper had been contracted to remove a hive which was in close proximity to the clubhouse. “The beekeeper happened to be playing in a senior league competition, which has been scheduled for the day and he used the opportunity to inspect the hive before a planned removal in the evening. When he placed his ladder against the tree to inspect the hive, the bees became agitated and started to swarm. At this time, we had many golfers arriving to participate in the Seniors League Competition who thus became victims of the swarming bees”, reported the Durbanville Golf Club. The club was temporarily closed and the hive has since been removed. "The players who had been hospitalised were visited by representatives of the Club and the patients have been reported to be healthy and in the process of being discharged," said the Club. A year ago, a swarm of Cape honey bees were believed to have been responsible for the deaths of 63 African penguins found dead at the Boulders African penguin colony in Simon’s Town. Vets from the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB) investigated the cause of death after the penguins were discovered without any other wounds or bite marks. Source: Shawn Herbst, media liaison officer, Netcare 911; Cape Talk |
|
