Aggressive hornet swarm attacks festival visitors - several injured

Over a dozen people injured by hornets attack

On Sunday, at a community festival in the Baden-Württemberg town of Weingarten 18 people were attacked and injured by a hornet swarm. Thirteen of the attacked persons had to be taken to nearby hospitals for medical care.

Insect bites can be dangerous

In the summer months, it is easy to get bitten by a wasp. Such stitches are not only painful, but can even lead to death in people worst with an insect sting allergy. In North Rhine-Westphalia, a few weeks ago a 50-year-old man was killed by wasp stings. In Baden-Wuerttemberg, a group of visitors has been attacked by hornets. Luckily nobody was injured.

At a festival in Baden-Württemberg visitors were attacked by a hornet swarm. Several people had to be taken to hospitals with injuries ... Image: Bertold Werkmann - fotolia

No life-threatening injuries

According to a statement by the Karlsruhe police force, which was published on the "Press Portal", a total of 18 visitors to the community festival "Wine Hiking Day 2018" in the town of Weingarten were injured by a hornet swarm on Sunday afternoon.

According to the information, the hornets attacked the visitors for no apparent reason.

"Of the 18 injured people, 13 people had to be taken to nearby hospitals for medical care," the statement says.

According to the police, the casualties are adults, children were not affected.

"No one was life-threatening injured by the bites," the police write.

The alarmed rescue service was deployed with two paramedics, ten vehicles and several local emergency services of the surrounding towns.

The area of ​​the community festival had been closed off. Also an expert in insects has been called.

Extremely painful stitches

Hornets are actually considered less aggressive than, say, wasps. Therefore, it is also less common to stitches.

But according to Prof. dr. Thilo Jakob, director of the Department of Dermatology and Allergology in Giessen, such stitches are extremely painful.

The expert explained in an article on how insect bites and bites can be better assigned that hornets can sting multiple times because their sting does not remain in the skin.

The piercing threshold burns, swells and reddens.

Existing wasp sensitization / allergy can lead to severe allergic reactions. (Ad)