At least 37 people, including 27 school students and eight teachers, were injured after a swarm of bees attacked a private school group at Madhe Ghat near Rajgad on Sunday afternoon, officials said.
Doctors at the Velhe rural hospital carried out immediate primary treatment and screening. (HT)
The incident occurred around 1 pm when the group, which had travelled from Pune for a trekking trip, was moving in the Madhe Ghat area. Following the attack, all the injured were rushed to Velhe Rural Hospital.
Doctors at the Velhe rural hospital carried out immediate primary treatment and screening. Health officials said the injured included 17 boys and 14 girls in the 10–14 age group, along with three men and one woman, taking the total to 35 initially reported cases, later revised to 37 as more patients were brought in for observation.
According to officials, six patients were referred to Pune for further treatment, including three children (two boys and one girl aged between 10 and 14) and three adults (two men and one woman). They were shifted to Bharati Hospital after preliminary care at Velhe.
“The patients complained of nausea, vomiting, dizziness, and swelling of the face, eyes, and lips, along with severe pain at the sting sites,” said Dr Ambadas Devkar, taluka health officer of Velhe.
Initially, three patients were admitted to Velhe Rural Hospital, including a 40-year-old female teacher and two girls aged 12 and 13, who were given IV fluids and symptomatic treatment. “Their condition was stable. Later, in the evening, they were referred to Bharati Hospital at the request of their relatives,” said Dr Ramchandra Hankare, Pune district health officer.
Health officials said that two patients who were brought to Bharati Hospital earlier were stable and likely to be discharged shortly.
In a statement, Bharati Hospital management stated, “One child with severe symptoms is admitted to the paediatric intensive care unit (PICU). The remaining patients were kept under observation in the emergency department till 6.45 pm. Three to four patients may require admission, while the others have only mild symptoms.”