Kisii: 49 Pupils Rushed To Hospital After Being Attacked By Bees While Picking Loquat Fruits

• Kari D.E.B Primary School head teacher Abel Maseno said the children were out for lunch when the incident occurred
• Maseno said a group of pupils were picking loquat fruits from a tree outside the school when they disturbed the hive
• Oresi Sub-County Hospital's acting administrator Christabel Otieno said 14 children out of the affected suffered severe anaphylactic reactions

Kisii - An afternoon adventure by a group of learners at Kari D.E.B Primary School turned tragic after a swarm of bees attacked them.

The pupils are said to have gone to pick loquat fruit on a tree outside the school next to a dumpsite when they disturbed a beehive nearby.

Confirming the incident, the school headteacher Abel Maseno said the pupils ran to the school with a swarm of bees following them.

"It was around 1:30 when the children were out for lunch a few of the boys went out of the compound. Just next to the school, we have a dumping site where they went to look for loquats. When they touched on the loquats, unfortunately, there were bees that landed on them, and the kids ran to school for protection. As they were running to school, they came with the swarm of bees," Maseno said.

He explained that the teachers and parents at the school tried and maintained the situation that left the 49 injured.

Maseno said they were taken to the nearest facility at Oresi Sub-County Hospital for treatment.

He thanked the education official in the area led by Sub-County’s Director of Education, Cyrus Juma, for their quick response following the incident.

Injured pupils receiving treatment

Acting administrator at the local health facility Christabel Otieno said 14 children out of the affected suffered severe anaphylactic reactions and were being observed.

She explained that the remaining 35 had been discharged after treatment, adding that the rest would be released soon.

"The remaining 35 pupils have stabilized and were discharged from the facility, while the rest are expected to be discharged soon," she said.

Parents have intensified calls to have the dumpsite moved from the area, complaining about its proximity to the school.

Kigoma teacher dies from being attacked by bees

In a separate incident, a teacher in Kigoma was viciously attacked and killed by a swarm of bees while passing under a tree.

In a video by Millard Ayo, Deogratius Emili met his death after a group of kids threw stones into the nest on top of the tree, causing the bees to attack.

Eyewitnesses added that the teacher tried to cover his face with the shirt he had taken off, but that was not enough to keep the swarm away.