A mum and her eight-year-old daughter are among six bus passengers who died after it crashed into hives full of African bees.

Driver Santos Herrera, 22, lost control of the school bus following mechanical problems and crashed down a 160-foot deep slope in the municipality of San Sebastián de Yalí, Nicaragua, on Monday.

The impact crushed multiple wooden beehives and freed its African bee inhabitants, causing the angry swarm to repeatedly sting the driver and passengers, the MailOnline reports.

45 out of the 60 bus passengers, as well as the driver, were stung, and locals who tried to rescue trapped passengers had to stop because of the presence of the bees.

The victims were identified as 47-year-old Eneyda Tórrez and her eight-year-old daughter Andrea Carolina García; Kenia Soza, 19; Dilcia Amparo, 32; Santos Calderón, 38; and Reyna Olivas, 84.

At least 14 passengers, including a four-year-old boy and a pregnant woman, were hospitalised.

Horrific pictures show victims covered in dozens of bee stings all over their bodies.

The country’s National Police transit unit has launched an investigation into the crash.

African honey bees are considered an invasive species in South America.

They’re more defensive, react faster, and chase people further than other varieties of honey bees.

It’s believed they’ve killed 1,000 humans, as well as horses and other animals, with victims receiving 10 times more stings than from European honey bees.

Their venom is the same strength as in European honey bees, but because they sting in far greater numbers African honey bees have far more deaths attributed to them.

However they are the dominant type of honey bee for beekeeping in Central and South America, due to their genetic dominance and ability to out-perform European bees.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].

For more stories like this, check our news page.

Source: Read Full Article