A 2-year-old boy died after being attacked by a swarm of bees in Barangay San Juan, Aurora, Zamboanga del Sur, according to a report by Brigada Pagadian.
The victim, identified as Ace Leandro, was with his grandfather Leonardo Alivio harvesting corn when the attack happened. Alivio said thousands of bees suddenly swarmed them.
“We were tending to our corn harvest when the bees attacked. I tried to run after him, hoping I’d be stung instead of him,” Alivio told the station.
Residents helped bring both the grandfather and the child to a nearby hospital. Doctors later declared the boy dead on arrival.
While the multiple stings were believed to have caused the boy’s death, there are suspicions that he may have also drowned after falling into a puddle during the incident.
The child had been under his grandparents’ care since birth, as his mother works in Manila, Alivio added. The family expressed deep sorrow over the tragedy.
The boy’s body has been placed in a funeral home as the family mourns.
