17 injured when giant bees swarm a KSRTC bus near Gavi in Kerala
File photo of a KSRTC bus traveling through the forest road from Pathanamthitta to Kumila via Gavi in the Periyar Tiger Reserve. | Photo credit: LEJU KAMAL
Seventeen people were injured after a swarm of giant bees attacked a KSRTC bus near Gavi in Pathanamthitta district on Monday (September 21, 2026).
The incident took place around 11 am near Kozhikanam, near Vallakkadavu check post in Vandiperiyar, Periyar Tiger Reserve. The bus, which had 58 people on board including the crew, left Pathanamthitta at 5.30 am for Kumila via Gavi.
As the bus was passing Gavi, the driver stopped at a narrow stretch of road to give way to an oncoming car. In an instant, a swarm of bees rushed into the bus and the passengers panicked. They hastily closed the windows and shutters, but the bees began to sting them relentlessly. Several passengers jumped off the bus and ran, only to be chased by the swarm and stung again.
Evacuation
Bus driver Rassaq, who was also injured in the attack, managed to reach the forest checkpoint in Vallakkadav in a passing pickup truck and alert the authorities. A team of forest personnel in a bus and a jeep soon rushed to the spot and evacuated the injured to nearby hospitals.
The injured were taken to the community health center at Vandiperiyar and Peerumade taluk hospital for treatment. Ten of them were later shifted to Peerumade Hospital, while seven others left for Pathanamthitta in another KSRTC bus from Kumila around 1.30 pm.
Forest officials said the remote location, with no mobile phone coverage, posed a challenge for the rescue operation.
Published – 21 Sep 2026 18:18 IST