An 11-year-old boy died in a hospital Wednesday after he was stung by a swarm of hornets as he climbed a tree to pick fruit in Kompong Chhnang province’s Toek Phos district, officials said.
Samnang Nat accidentally ruptured a hornet’s nest on Tuesday afternoon while picking fruit from a Kakoh tree.
As he fled, the swarm followed and stung him repeatedly, said deputy district governor Ong Vongdoeun.
The boy was driven two hours away to the provincial hospital, where he failed to receive adequate treatment, Vongdoeun said.
“He was seriously injured and when he was sent to the hospital it took a long time for him to be treated,” he said.
Provincial hospital director Vuth Thy said the victim’s arm was severely swollen but he appeared to be in stable condition after receiving an initial dose of medicine.
However, by Tuesday night his condition deteriorated and he died that morning.
“We tried to cure the victim the best we could but the hornet sting was too much and he died in the morning. If the stings were not so serious he might be alive,” Mr. Thy said, adding that the hospital lacks sufficient medicine to treat hornet stings due to the infrequency of such accidents.
