44-yr-old man dies while fleeing from attacking bees at Karnala fort

A man died and eight others were injured after a bee swarm attack while trekking at Karnala Fort, Mumbai. The victim fell and suffered fatal injuries.

MUMBAI: A 44-year-old man allegedly suffered fatal injuries while fleeing from an attack by a swarm of honey bees on Saturday morning at the Karnala fort in Panvel, where he had gone with his family for trekking. The deceased, identified as Sandeep Purohit, is a resident of Koperkhairane in Navi Mumbai.

44-yr-old man dies while fleeing from attacking bees at Karnala fort

Eight other people, including few students from an engineering college of Mumbai, are reported to have suffered injuries while trying to flee from the attacking bees. A rescue team, comprising of staff from Karnala Bird Sanctuary and NGO Nisarg Mitra, reached the spot after getting a distress call.

“At 11 am, we received a call from the fort area stating that there had been an attack and many were injured. It took us around 45 minutes to reach the spot. The rescue team found many with bee sting injuries and a man lying unconscious,” said a ground staff member of Karnala Bird Sanctuary.

The victim reportedly ran along an uneven path that led to the fort whereas the others ducked to the ground. “The man, while running on the pathway, fell and suffered fatal injury on his head,” said range officer Narayan Rathod.

The rescue team took the victim and the injured to the sub-district hospital in Panvel. “Purohit was declared dead at the hospital due to the injuries he suffered because of the fall,” said senior police inspector Gajanan Ghadge.

Forest officials are uncertain about the reason behind the bee attack. “In my tenure, this is the first such incident. Bees generally don’t attack unless provoked by strong smell or any other external interference,” said Rathod.