Belthangady : Nearly 80 devotees suffered bee stings, eight of them seriously  in a wild bee attack at Gadaikallu hills in Belthangady  on March 24, Sunday. The incident   took place when the devotees had been to the hill as every year to offer prayers on the occasion of Palm Sunday.

According to reports,  as many as 100 devotees including the Parish Priest of Holy Redeemer Church Fr James D’Souza and Assistant Parish Priest Fr Melwyn Noronha.
The incident took place when the devotees were about to return after the prayers. Despite the warning,  some devotees climbed upwards where there were honeycombs and the bees swarmed the devotees and bit them.

All of them struggled for want of medical aid for over three and a half hours after which medical aid arrived. They were provided first aid and the eight seriously injured were rushed to hospital.

Even last year, some devotees were attacked by bees.