A woman was stung to death by a swarm of bees that attacked her when her car hit an electric substation in Senderwood on Monday afternoon, Johannesburg metro police said.
A massive beehive covering the roof of the substation was disturbed when Mariana Carmichael’s car veered off the road and hit the building during a three-car pile-up, said Chief Superintendent Wayne Minnaar.
”She got out of the vehicle, and paramedics attended to her, but within minutes there were so many bees that they swamped this woman,” Minnaar said. ”She died on the scene.”
Paramedics from Netcare 911, tow-truck drivers and members of the public were also stung. The 60-year-old Carmichael’s husband, James, was stung so badly he had to be admitted to hospital. Metro police had to receive injections against the stings they received.
Minnaar said metro police would close Shakespeare Road and Club Road extension between 9am and 11am on Tuesday while the bees were removed. He called on residents to close their doors and windows between those hours.
”We have to remove this beehive… [it] is huge, very huge,” he said.
A firm called Bee Removal would remove the bees. — Sapa