An elderly man was killed and 20 others injured in an attack by a swarm of bees at the Dantala Lingamayya temple in Pathamadugula village of Kothapalli mandal near Atmakur on Tuesday morning.
The deceased was identified as Siva Sankar Reddy, 65, a retired Village Revenue Officer (VRO).
“Siva Sankar was among a group of around 50 devotees who visited the Dantala Lingamayya temple in Pathamadugula village to offer prayers. The group lit a fire as part of a ritual, which disturbed a honeycomb nearby, resulting in a bee attack,” police said. A few persons received multiple stings while the majority of the group escaped with a sting or two.
Siva Sankar Reddy, along with the other injured persons, was brought to the Erramatam Primary Health Centre, where the former VRO was declared brought dead. Atmakur Circle Inspector Subramanyam said that the cause of death was presumed to heart attack. “The devotees have not lodged any complaint over the incident,” the CI added.
