Unusual bee attack in French town leaves 24 injured, 3 critically
The Prefecture of Cantal, in south-central France, said passersby were stung over a period of about 30 minutes on Sunday morning. Firefighters and medical teams were rushed to the scene to treat the victims while police set up a security perimeter until the bees stopped their attack.
The three people in critical condition were evacuated to a local hospital.
Pierre Mathonier, the mayor of Aurillac, told French broadcaster France 3 the incident may have been related to Asian hornets threatening beehives that had been installed on the roof terrace of a downtown hotel over 10 years ago. He said that this had likely caused the bees to become aggressive.
'All ended well,' he said. 'The emergency services were perfectly coordinated.'
Mathonier added that one 78-year-old was stung 25 times.
Lieutenant-colonel Michel Cayla, in charge of the local fire services, said he had never experienced such an attack. He said one of the victims was in cardiorespiratory arrest and had to be resuscitated in the fire department ambulance.
'In terms of the number of victims, the panic among the people and the severity of some of the injuries, it was impressive,' he told broadcaster TF1.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BreakingNews.ie
36 minutes ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Tributes paid to Waterford cyclist (25) who died in France
Tributes are being paid to a Waterford man who died suddenly in France. Tomás Walsh (25) was in France to watch the Tour de France when the incident occurred in a metro station in Paris on Monday morning. Advertisement Full details of how Mr Walsh died remain unclear, but it is understood that Mr Walsh may have fallen onto live wires at the station. In a statement, Comeragh Cycling Club said they learned of Mr Walsh's death 'with great sadness' and that their 'clubmate and young friend has lost his life' in France. They continued: 'We're truly shattered by this news and extend our sincerest condolences to all his family and friends. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.' Altitude Cycling Repairs added: "Everyone in Altitude is deeply saddened to hear of the death of Tomás Walsh. Tomás was one of a golden group of talented cyclists who happened to converge through their membership of Comeragh Cycling Club and through which great friendships were formed. Advertisement 'His death is deeply felt by everyone here and we extend our deepest sympathy to Bernie and Frank and to Tomás' sisters and his family and friends.' Mr Walsh is survived by his parents, Frank and Bernie and sisters. A spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said that they are 'aware of the case' and are providing consular assistance. 'As with all consular cases, the Department does not comment on the details of individual cases,' the spokesperson noted. Mr Walsh's funeral arrangements are yet to be announced.
The Independent
6 hours ago
- The Independent
Officials search for bear that attacked a woman hiking on a popular Alaska trail
A brown bear attacked a woman Tuesday afternoon as she hiked on a popular trail in Alaska's Chugach Mountains, and officials are still looking for the animal, state police said. Alaska State Troopers used a helicopter to evacuate the woman off the Basher Trail to a hospital, Anchorage Police spokesperson Christopher Barraza said. Her injuries are considered non-life-threatening, he said. The woman, who has not been identified, called 911 around 3 p.m. and told the dispatcher that she had been mauled by a bear about 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) into the trail, Barraza said. She told officials she couldn't walk. For about an hour, the woman talked with officials over the phone, telling them the area she was in as they used drones to try to find her, Barraza said. 'After the bear had mauled her, she said it ran off and she was unable to see which direction it went,' he said. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game blocked off the area and is searching for the bear, he said. 'We're advising everybody to make sure they go prepared when they go to do hikes and trails," Barraza said. 'Make sure you know what to do when you see a bear, carry your bear spray, stuff like that.' The Anchorage Fire Department wrote in a post on Facebook that hikers should temporarily avoid the trails around the Stuckagain Heights area.
Times
10 hours ago
- Times
French minister and fugitive tycoon face trial over ‘corruption pact'
Rachida Dati, France's ambitious culture minister, and Carlos Ghosn, the fugitive car tycoon, have been sent for trial over an alleged €900,000 corruption pact. The move will cast a shadow over Dati's campaign to become mayor of Paris next year and add to the legal woes besetting Ghosn, the former chief executive of Renault and Nissan who fled to Lebanon in 2019 after being charged with financial misconduct in Japan. Both deny wrongdoing. Prosecutors allege that when Ghosn, 71, headed the Renault-Nissan alliance, he paid Dati, 59, then an MEP, €900,000 to carry out lobbying work on the companies' behalf in the European parliament between 2010 and 2012. MEPs are not allowed to engage in such lobbying work. However, Dati and Ghosn say the payments were consultancy fees to help with the group's expansion in the Middle East and north Africa, which was legal. The 175-page indictment says investigators could find no trace of Dati's consultancy activities, however. Dati has been charged with corruption, influence peddling, breach of trust and receiving the proceeds of abuse of power. Ghosn is accused of breach of trust, abuse of power, corruption and influence peddling. Le Monde said a preliminary hearing was due in September and the trial is likely to be scheduled next year, after March's council elections. The timing leaves Dati facing the prospect of having to campaign in the mayoral race against a background of corruption allegations. Polls suggest that the centre-right minister is an overwhelming favourite to succeed Anne Hidalgo, the socialist incumbent, who is her longtime rival. A political street fighter, Dati will almost certainly seek to shrug off the case, but internal opponents are waiting to pounce if her campaign is derailed. Foremost among them is Michel Barnier, the EU's former Brexit negotiator who was a short-lived prime minister last year. • The fugitive CEO Carlos Ghosn on how he escaped jail in Japan Although, like Dati, a member of the centre-right Republicans, Barnier wants to stand in a by-election in the wealthy Paris constituency that is her backyard. His initiative, seen as a stepping stone to the mayoral race, has infuriated Dati, who has indicated that she will run against him. The trial is a fresh setback for President Macron, who lured Dati into his centrist government in January 2024 although she had previously been critical of him. With her tough-talking style she is one of the few ministers well known to voters in what is otherwise widely viewed as a weak, ramshackle cabinet.
