A young geologist has been killed by a swarm of bees.
Andrea del Pilar Fandiño was carrying out fieldwork in a rural area with two colleagues when they were repeatedly stung by the swarm.
One geologist managed to protect himself with a jacket, but the other two were badly stung.
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The 30-year-old postgraduate died while being flown to a hospital in the capital the following day.
The bee attack took place in the rural municipality of Ortega located south-west of Bogotá, Colombia, last Tuesday (5 Aug).
Andrea worked as a professor at the Faculty of Sciences of the National University of Colombia, as reported by Need To Know.
She recently graduated from Caldas University and was studying for a postgraduate degree at the National University where she also gave classes.
Gabriela Delgado, dean of the Faculty of Sciences at the National University, said: “It was a strange attack.
“They encountered the bees without any prior warning.
“They didn’t hear anything, not even the typical buzzing.”
The two geologists were taken to a medical centre in Ortega.
Due to the severity of the attack, Andrea was transferred to Bogotá the next day, but while aboard the airplane, she suffered severe anaphylaxis with complications.
The medical team re-routed to Ibagué where she died despite the doctors’ best efforts.
Her colleague remains in intensive care.
Following Andrea’s death, a university spokesperson said: “With profound sorrow, we bid farewell to our beloved professor Andrea Fandiño Palacios, who dedicated her life with passion to geology and with love to her students, friends, and family.”
“Her smile, her humanity, and her unconditional love for geology forever marked those of us who had the privilege of knowing her.”
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