Balasore/Rayagada: An elderly man was killed and his grandson was injured after being attacked by a swarm of bees at Bankisahi village under Burhampur police limits of Balasore district today.
According to reports, Ramchandra Sa of Banksahi village after cleaning the backyard of his house had set fire to the garbage heap.
Smoke from the garbage heap irritated a colony of honey bees that was residing in a nearby tree.
The irritated bees which moved hither and thither attacked Ramachandra and his grandson who was playing in the backyard of the house.
Family members then rushed Ramchandra and his grandson to the Sub Divisional Hospital at Nilgiri where Ramachandra was declared dead by the attending doctors. However, his grandson has been admitted to hospital and is undergoing treatment.
In a similar incident, 18 people have been critically injured after being attacked by bees at Karanj village under Kalyansinghpur block in Rayagada district today.
During a religious ritual, these people were doing some kind of puja under a tree by lighting a fire.
The smoke from the fire irritated a colony of bees having their hive on the same tree.
Thereafter, the bees which had come out of the hive attacked the people doing puja. Among the 18 injured in the bee attack, three are children.
All the injured have been admitted to the Community Health Centre at Kalyansinghpur.
