Van with bees crashes near Marmaris

A van carrying beehives crashed into a lorry yesterday on Bodrum Marmaris Highways, causing huge swarms to break free and sting the injured and rescue workers who rushed to the scene.

All together, about 20 people were taken to hospital: six had been injured in the crash and the rest were rescue workers who had been stung by the bees.

Feyzullah Acar who has been involved with crash near the Turkish holiday resort of Marmaris later died in hospital. It was not known if he died from his injuries or as a result of being stung.

After the accident, the bees swarmed over the injured as well as police, medics and firefighters who went to the scene, forcing the authorities to seek the help of about 50 beekeepers in the area.

The rescuers used hoses and blankets to try to ward off the insects. One was seen inside a vehicle, trying to kill the bees by squashing them against windows, using a blanket and rags.

It took about an hour to remove the crash victims from the scene because bee attacked everyone at scene on highways. 29/09/09