An 86-year-old man is now a patient at the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPHC) after he was the victim of a bee attack outside the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts compound.
An unsuspecting Joseph Persaud was stung by a swarm of bees south of the compound along Brickdam in the morning.
Persaud, who was making his way along the parapet, was swarmed and then fell to the ground. He appeared to be too weak to get up.
He was seen lying on the ground for more than 10 minutes as persons ran frantically from the area, including some who sought refuge within the nearby courtrooms.
In a vain attempt, a man ran to the area and hurriedly set fire to a small amount of grass in hopes of dispersing the bees.
Sometime later, a fire truck arrived and firefighters dispersed the bees that swarmed Persaud using extinguishers.
Persaud was later rushed into a van and taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital.
Although Persaud was the only individual that appeared to be seriously injured, there were others who were stung as they attempted to pass near the area.
A woman who was passing fell as the bees appeared to sting her about her body.
She, however, forced herself to her feet and dashed through traffic without looking back.
Some persons who sought refuge in one of the courts had to exit through the prisoners’ chute to avoid contact with the swarm.
Sometime after midday, the swarm had dispersed and calm was restored to the area.
This newspaper was told that a hive was not located.
It is suspected the bees might have been nesting in a lot, located next to the courts compound, which was cleared on Monday.