Bees attack pilgrims, 2 killed, four injured

Chandrapur: Two people were killed, while four others were critically injured after bees attacked pilgrims at the Satbahini hillock on Saturday evening, reports Mazhar Ali.
Tourists and pilgrims flock the Satbahini hillock, also known as Perjagarh and has an ancient Mahadev temple, is located 18 kilometres from Talodhi village in Nagbhid taluka.
Sources said that there was a marriage ceremony in the house of one Ashok Bhashakhetri in village Wadhona near Talodhi. Bhashaketri’s relative Ashok Medhe (64) from Nagpur and his brother-in-law Gulab Koche (58) from Chhindwara in Madhya Pradesh were among the guests.
After the ceremony, the duo went to Mahadev temple. As the place has many hives, there have been many incidents of visitors being killed or injured in bee attacks. Mendhe and Koche were attacked by the bees when they were returning. After many stings, the duo could not go down the hillock and died there.
A group of tourists were also attacked by the bees. Four people, including a woman and a six-month-old infant, were injured. Sources said the injured were taken to Nagpur for treatment.
After getting distress calls from pilgrims, the forest department, with the help of the police and the local primary response team (PRT), carried out the rescue operation and brought them down safely from the hillock on Saturday night.
SDPO Milind Shinde, assisted by a posse of cops from Sindwahi and Nagbhid, along with the team of Talodhi range and PRT took part in the rescue operation.
One person was killed and seven others were injured in a similar bee attack in May 2014. The difficult terrain of the hillock is a major hurdle to escape any attack by bees. Another hilly area, Ramdegi in Warora taluka, too is infamous for bee attacks. Many tourists and visitors to the temple and Bauddha Vihar have been victims.