A couple miraculously survived an attack by thousands of wild bees that were sent into a frenzy by raging forest fires.
Pruan Punta, 73, and his wife Saisuda Kwai-aun, 53, were sitting under a mango tree in front of their home in northern Tak province, Thailand, when a swarm of about 10,000 angry bees descended upon them.
The insects started divebombing the terrified couple, stinging them all over their bodies.
Pruan jumped into the nearby Ping River to avoid the stings, but his unfortunate wife, who suffered partial paralysis, was unable to escape and had to endure the full force of the bees' attack.
With the crazed swarm still following him, Pruan emerged from the water and ran 500 meters to his neighbor's house, where he called for help.
Rescuers had to wear motorcycle helmets and protective PPE suits left over from the pandemic before bundling the couple into an ambulance. Bizarrely, the bees ignored the rescuers completely and continued assaulting the couple.
The couple was rushed to the nearby Ban Tak Hospital for treatment, where doctors had to remove dozens of stingers embedded painfully in their faces.
Speaking to local media on Thursday, Saisuda said: 'The bees stung me mostly in my face and limbs. It hurt but I couldn't do anything since I couldn't run away.
'I tried to crawl away from the mango tree towards our house.
'The pain was intense. I just remember fainting and I couldn't move.’
The pensioners were discharged from hospital and later returned home, but they are both afraid of the bees returning.
Husband Pruana added: 'I'm thankful to the rescue team for their swift response. My wife could have died if she did not receive treatment in time."
It is believed the swarm had been driven towards the residential area after recent forest fires burned their natural habitat in northern Thailand.
The fire also destroyed all of the beehives in the area. The massive swarm of wild bees was likely frightened and escaped from the forest, making their way to the residential area, where they attacked the couple.
Fires caused by out-of-control agricultural burning have been raging this week in the Doi Soi Malai National Park on the Thanon Thong Chai mountain range, damaging trees and bushland.
Wildlife rescue worker Apirak Phunuan, who attended the scene, said he believes the change in the climate and the smoke has caused the bees to behave differently.
He said: 'The fires have forced the bees out of their hives in the woods. This kind of incident is very rare. It's not normal for the bees. They became aggressive because of the flames and smoke.'
