An unusual incident involving aggressive bees in Aurillac, a town in south-central France, resulted in 24 people being injured on a Sunday morning. Reports from the local authorities indicate that three of the victims were initially in critical condition but have since shown improvement.
The aggressive bee stings occurred over a span of approximately 30 minutes, prompting an emergency response from firefighters and medical teams, who attended to the victims swiftly. Police were also on-site to establish a security perimeter until the situation stabilised.
The three individuals who were critically affected were transported to a nearby hospital where their conditions were closely monitored. Among them was a 78-year-old woman who required resuscitation due to cardiorespiratory arrest; she is now reported to be stable. The other two individuals are now in good health.
Mayor Pierre Mathonier speculated that the bee attack might have been provoked by Asian hornets threatening a beehive situated on the roof of a downtown hotel, which had been there for over a decade. He noted that this threat likely incited the bees’ aggression. In response to the incident, the beekeeper has since removed the beehive and relocated it away from urban areas.
Local fire services, under the leadership of Lieutenant Colonel Michel Cayla, have never encountered such an event before. He expressed the gravity of the situation, highlighting the level of panic among the public and the seriousness of some injuries. Cayla described the incident as impressive in terms of both the number of victims and the emergency response, including the swift resuscitation efforts executed in an ambulance.
This unprecedented attack has raised concerns regarding public safety, with discussions likely to follow about managing urban beehives and preventing similar incidents in the future.