Attack of the bees! Huge swarm leaves 37 people in hospital as terrified motorists abandon their cars on the road to escape insects in Uruguay

Almost 40 people have been hospitalized in a Uruguayan town after being attacked by bees.

Terrified residents abandoned their cars in the middle of the street and tried to flee on foot after the insects entered their moving vehicles through open windows.

The shocking incident took place on Thursday afternoon in central Melo, Uruguay’s ninth largest city of just over 50,000 people, about 55 kilometers from the border with Brazil.

Police confirmed 37 people, including eight children, were taken to the emergency room for treatment overnight.

Beekeepers in hazmat suits were called in to remove the poison hives and secure the area in an operation that lasted almost an hour

The beekeepers in hazmat suits came to collect the hive from a street in Melo, Uruguay

The beekeepers used a smoke-based poison to secure the area after the bee attack

Officers took many of those stabbed to death in their squad cars to hospital while colleagues closed down city center streets to ensure no one else entered the danger zone.

One of those affected told the local press: “My son ran like crazy but was still stabbed about 15 times.

“A lot of people were desperate. They left motorbikes and cars behind. I had my car windows down when a swarm of bees appeared out of nowhere and walked in.’

The scare was attributed to two beehives kept without permission at a house nearby where motorists and pedestrians were stung.

Beekeepers in hazmat suits were called in to remove the poisoned hives and secure the area in an operation that lasted nearly an hour.

One of the experts who helped remove them said: “People were kept out for about an hour.”

People were kept off the road for about an hour while beekeepers dealt with the matter

Two of the stabbed children would have been hospitalized overnight

The scare was attributed to two beehives being kept without permission at a house near where motorists and pedestrians were stung

It was not immediately clear why the bees attacked, but experts said that sounds such as a honking car horn may have stressed them.

Local journalist Silvia Techera said: “I saw people running everywhere and heard a lot of sirens.

Shopkeepers closed their doors.

“I never thought it would be because of the bees. They looked very angry.

“Cars, motorbikes and crash helmets were parked in the middle of the street.

“Eventually the bugs attacked me too and I took refuge in my radio station.”

It was not immediately clear why the bees attacked, but experts said that sounds such as a honking car horn may have stressed them.

Two of the stabbed children would have been hospitalized overnight.

A severe allergic reaction to bee stings is potentially life-threatening. A small percentage of people who are stung by a bee quickly develop anaphylaxis with symptoms such as swelling of the throat and tongue.