Raipur/Raigarh, May 16 (IANS). On Saturday, officials said that a team of the Archaeological Department was suddenly attacked by a huge swarm of bees in the historical Singhanpur cave of Raigarh district of Chhattisgarh. The attack of bees created chaos and created an atmosphere of panic among the people.The research team had reached the ancient site on Friday for important inspection, documentation and conservation work of the famous prehistoric rock paintings of the cave, when suddenly they encountered wildlife. According to official reports, the field team included researchers and academic experts from the Department of Archeology of Pandit Ravi Shankar Shukla University.
While the team members were busy examining the preserved pieces and analyzing the delicate colors of the ancient rock art, a giant beehive located at the upper part of the cave inadvertently caused a commotion. Within moments, thousands of agitated bees rushed into the cave and trapped the researchers inside. The sudden attack caused immediate panic and the team members scrambled to find a way out and escape this unruly swarm. In the chaos of escaping the dark cave chambers, several members of the research team received multiple stings and various other injuries.
Hearing the noise, local emergency services and nearby villagers rushed to help and assisted in evacuating the injured people from the hill site and providing immediate first aid. The injured researchers were taken to a nearby medical center for treatment. Doctors confirmed that the victims suffered painful swelling and allergic reaction to the bee stings, but all the affected persons are currently stable and recovering under observation. Singhanpur Cave is globally renowned among historians and anthropologists as it contains some of India’s most famous caves. There are old rock caves and Palaeolithic frescoes, and it regularly attracts academic expeditions. Following this incident, local administrative authorities temporarily restricted entry to specific chambers of the cave.
–-IANS
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