RSOE Emergency and Disaster Information Service

Situation Update No. 1

Posted:2010-03-19, 04:06:23 [UTC]

Ref.no.: BH-20100319-25372-USA

Situation Update No. 1
On 2010-03-20 at 04:02:42 [UTC]

Event: Biological Hazard
Location: USA State of Arizona 3rd Avenue and Bell Rd Phoenix

Number of Injured: 4 person(s)

A swarm of killer bees attacked at least 4 people in North Phoenix on March 18th. The bee attacks left two women in critical condition after they were stung more than 100 times. Witnesses say a man rushed over to help the women, but he was then attacked by the bees. That man was able to grab a fire extinguisher, which he passed to another neighbor who started spraying down the women in hopes of chasing away the bees. That man was then attacked as well. The neighbor compared the bee attacks to world record holders in the Guinness Book of World Records, who allow bees to cover their entire bodies. Firefighters were able to get the bees off of the women, and then sprayed down the hive with foam, killing the bees. Killer bees, hybrids of the African bee, are known as the most aggressive type of bees, and can be set off by nearly anything; a sound, a vibration, a smell -- all of these can trigger killer bee attacks. Killer bees have been responsible for multiple deaths in the United States and other countries of the world. Victims of killer bee attacks have been known to have been stung up to 8,000 times.