Sambalpur: A routine day of collecting mahua flowers turned tragic in Sambalpur district when a swarm of honey bees fatally attacked a villager.
The victim, Basudev Kisan of Gulujipali village, was gathering mahua flowers on Wednesday when the bees swarmed and stung him relentlessly.
In a desperate bid to escape, Kisan plunged his head into a nearby waterbody, but the bees continued to sting every exposed part of his body.
His wife and two others eventually pulled him out and rushed him to Phashimal Hospital, where doctors declared him dead.
Mahua flowers, widely used for food and traditional brews, are often gathered in forested areas where bee colonies thrive.