PHOENIX (Web Desk) – More than 20 people were stung and one hospitalised after a swarm of thousands of killer bees invaded a Phoenix mosque the other day.
The incident occurred at the Muslim Community Mosque near 32nd Street and McDowell Road on Friday afternoon, ABC 15 reported.
The road outside the mosque was shut down and fire crews dispatched to spray the building with foam in order to quell the swarms of angry bees.
The bees had formed a nest under the eaves of the mosque. A mosque worker said that a man had already been booked to remove the nest but the bees attacked earlier than expected.
Nearby residents were told to stay in their homes.
Some worshipers used blankets to protect themselves from the swarm, but more than 20 were stung ‘multiple times’ and one 24-year-old man hospitalised, although everyone was said to be in stable condition.
The bees are believed to have been disturbed by the mosque’s speakers, which are located next to their nest.
Killer bees, officially known as Africanized bees, are a particularly aggressive species. They are created by breeding European and African bees.
