An extraordinary bee attack in the French town of Aurillac has left 24 people injured, with three in critical condition, according to local authorities.
Passers-by were stung over the span of about 30 minutes on Sunday morning in the south-central French town, the Prefecture of Cantal confirmed.
Emergency services, including firefighters and medical teams, swiftly responded to treat the victims.
Police established a security perimeter until the swarm dispersed.
The three people in critical condition were transported to a local hospital.
Pierre Mathonier, the mayor of Aurillac, suggested to French broadcaster France 3 that the incident could be linked to Asian hornets threatening beehives.
These hives, he noted, had been installed on a downtown hotel's roof terrace over a decade ago, potentially causing the bees to become aggressive.
Asian hornets are an invasive species that pose a threat to honey bees.
They are originally from Asia but were accidentally introduced to France in 2004 and have since spread across Europe, including the United Kingdom, where they were first sighted in 2016.
“All ended well,” Mr Mathonier said.
"The emergency services were perfectly coordinated.”
Mr Mathonier told local media that the beekeeper had “never experienced such behaviour” from the hotel bees.
“It raises questions about the presence of hives in the city centre.
“It could have been much more serious. It’s shocking. A 78-year-old person was stung 25 times.”
Aurillac officials said the bee colony would either be removed or culled.
Deaths from bee stings are not common. According to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice), there are between two and nine deaths due to anaphylaxis from bee or wasp stings every year in the UK.
Of those deaths, wasp stings cause twice as bee stings.
Less than 0.5 per cent of the population suffer from anaphylaxis due to bee stings, a severe allergic reaction.
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