Toddler among 8 injured in bee attack at Sinhagad Fort: Forest officials

Pune, Mar 8 (PTI) A swarm of bees stung visitors at Sinhagad Fort in Pune district, leaving eight of them, including a toddler, injured on Sunday and causing panic among those present at the popular tourist spot, forest officials said.

However, volunteer rescuers claimed that more than two dozen tourists were affected by the insects in the incident that occurred near the ‘samadhi’ of Maratha warrior Tanaji Malusare at the historic site.

The injured were first taken to the primary health centre in Khanapur. Some of them were later shifted to nearby multi-speciality hospitals depending on the severity of the bee stings, forest officials said. Seven to eight persons sustained injuries in the attack, they said.

Among those seriously injured were Satara resident Nandkumar Gharge (67) and a one-and-a-half-year-old child, identified as Yuwash Sonar, they said.

The incident took place between 2 pm and 2.30 pm when a tourist allegedly threw a stone at a beehive near the samadhi area, one of the most visited locations on the fort.

Eyewitnesses said the person who allegedly hurled the stone ran towards a crowded area to escape, resulting in the bees following him and stinging several other tourists.

Tanaji Bhosale of Haveli Aapatti Vyavasthapan, a group involved in rescue operations at forts in Pune district, said volunteers rushed to the spot after receiving information about the incident.

“We assisted the injured tourists and helped shift them in private vehicles to nearby medical facilities,” he said. The rescuers claimed that the number of affected visitors could be between 25 and 27.

Range Forest Officer Manoj Barbole said forest department officials and disaster management teams reached the fort soon after the incident.

“As a precautionary step, vehicular movement on the Sinhagad Ghat road was temporarily halted to prevent further disturbance,” he said, adding that the situation was brought under control by around 6 pm. PTI SPK NR