Killer hornets wreak havoc

Firsthand experience of an attack

Hu Libin, a native of Ankang city in Shaanxi province, was attacked by hornets when he was supervising workers cleaning roads in the suburb.

Although several years have passed since the attack, Hu can clearly remember the scene, which he described as being "similar to an alien species eating people in horror movies".

"I suddenly heard a loud droning noise, just like an airplane passing overhead, coming from behind me. I turned and saw a black cloud of hornets flying quickly toward me. I squatted down immediately and wrapped some of my clothes around my head, but I was too slow and the hornets stung my body like hail pouring down from heaven. The hornets seemed desperate to sting my scalp and also tried to get through the gaps around my shirt collar and the top of my pants."

Within a few seconds, Hu realized that his head was extremely swollen and painful. He said he wanted to sit up, but was unable to. He then lost consciousness.

When he came round, he was lying in a hospital bed. He was lucky to have survived and probably only did so because his quick-thinking colleagues sent him to the hospital as soon as the attack ended. A shudder of fear still runs through him whenever he recalls the incident.

- He Na