More than 20 people stung by hornet swarm in Kaohsiung mountain district

Twenty-four people were stung, and 2 required hospitalization after a swarm of hornets attacked a group of 39 tourists in Kaohsiung City’s rural Namaxia District yesterday, October 31.

The group of Kaohsiung City residents was visiting the Tangaanua Shrine as part of a tour of the Bunun indigenous people’s traditional culture when a child was stung by a Asian giant hornet at around 10:30 am. The frantic actions of the child attempting to wave the hornet away is believed to have attracted a swarm from a hive in a nearby tree.

Panicked tourists ran for cover, but 24 were stung, some multiple times, before the hornets desisted.

The 24 people were admitted to local hospitals, and while most were discharged a short time later, two remained in hospital under observation.

The hornet’s nest was located on private land beside the historical shrine. The Kaohsiung City Agriculture Bureau sent personnel to assess the situation. It was decided that the hornets were too active to deal with directly after the attack, and that an attempt to remove the nest would be made today, Monday.

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