50-year-old man dies after bees attack devotees at Mallanna Jatara

HYDERABAD: A middle-aged man died of cardiac arrest and 50 others were injured after a swarm of bees attacked them at Mallanna Jatara (Lord Shiva festivities) at Uddhamarri village of Shamirpet Mandal on Monday afternoon. The injured, who were shifted to a nearby hospital, are said to be out of danger.

According to an eye-witness account, the incident occurred when the devotees — amidst the sounds of Potharaju’s whip lashes and booming drums, were performing a fire-walking ritual during the daylong biennial Jatara. “Someone must have stirred the honeycomb by pelting stones. Suddenly, the bees started attacking people in a swarm,” the eye-witness said.

Following the attack by honeybees, the public who were carrying the deity in palanquin went helter-skelter resulting in a stampede. The victim, Srinivas, a native of Bhongir, who was in his 50s, suddenly fell on the ground after being attacked by the killer bees. The locals shifted him to a nearby hospital, where he was declared brought dead.

“He died of cardiac arrest,” said Shamirpet Inspector S Santosham quoting the doctors. No police case has been filed.