90 year old woman in Thailand dies from wasp attack

A 90 year old woman from the northeast province of Chaiyaphum passed away after she was attacked by wasps near her home on Wednesday. The woman suffered hundreds of wasp stings all over her face and body and was rushed to hospital but later died.

The woman’s son said his mother, Chutima Phongchaiyaphum, liked to eat mangoes and was possibly out looking for mangoes to pick when she collided with a wasps nest that was hanging just a metre off the ground.

Chutima was found lying on the ground with wasps swarming around her head, arms and legs. 58 year old Supit Pongpaisan, who lives in the local area, witnessed the incident. Supit heard a woman cry for help and saw Chutima fall to the ground with wasps all around her.

Out of fear that the wasps would swarm them too, the locals did not intervene but immediately called for assistance. The Sawang Khunatham Foundation, equipped with wasp protection suits, went to get the wasps off Chutima. Chutima was unconscious when she was rushed to Chaiyaphum Hospital but later died from the stings.

In 2019, a Thai tour guide was killed in an Asian hornet attack while taking two French tourists trekking in Chiang Mai.

SOURCE: ThaiRath