Killer bees attack hikers

2004-05-04 07:03

Rio de Janeiro - Firefighters recovered the bodies of two men on Monday who had been killed in a rare bee attack.

They were among a group of nine people who were hiking on Sunday in the Serra Do Caraca state park about 600km west of Rio de Janeiro when they were attacked by a swarm of bees.

Initially, firefighters believed the men were lost in the woods, but on Monday they found the bodies of the two, aged 26 and 31, at the bottom of a waterfall.

"Their bodies were full of bee stings which suggests they died from the bee attack and didn't drown, but we'll only know after an autopsy can be conducted," said Sgt Wellington Horta of the Minas Gerais fire department.

The bees also attacked rescue workers, slowing down the recovery of the bodies. Bee keepers eventually had to be called in to complete the task.

According to Horta, the area is known to have a lot of bees but such attacks are rare. Firefighters do not know what set off the attack.

- SAPA