It has been a bad day for primary school pupils in Kenya.
On the same day seven pupils were killed after a classroom collapsed at Precious Talent Academy in Nairobi, a swarm of bees attacked a school in Kiambu County.
Over 170 pupils who were stung by the bees at Kanyariri Primary School were taken to Wangige Health Centre for first-aid treatment.
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Two others were taken to Kiambu Hospital.
According to one of the school teachers, the bees invaded Class Four and Five classrooms as the pupils were getting out for lunch at about 12.30 pm.
The teacher told the pupils to run towards the school field but the bees still followed them to the pitch.
"The bees could not stop attacking the pupils and in a fraction of a second, the entire school was under siege with everybody running helter-skelter," said the headmaster.
The headmaster said pupil who dashed to the classroom to hide from the bees were the ones who were seriously injured.
What to do if attacked by bees
- If a bee "bumps into" you, it's not an accident. Run. If you accidentally disturb a nest, run immediately. Try to get to an enclosed shelter (such as a car) or run until the bees stop following you
- If there's no attack yet, hold your breath. No, literally. Hold your breath.
- Don’t flail your arms and don’t swat. Pay attention to bee behavior. If bees fly into you or begin to swarm over or around you, they are probably trying to warn you off.
- Forget what you've heard about the dangers of pulling the stinger out. Just do it.
- Never jump into a body of water to escape bees. They will wait for you to surface
- Never approach or disturb a nest. If you notice bees entering or exiting a rock crevice, a hole in the ground or a tree cavity, assume there’s a nest present and leave the area immediately
