Bees attack immigrants, Border Patrol agents

By Gentry Braswell/WICK NEWS SERVICE

Sep 15, 2007

SIERRA VISTA - Several U.S. Border Patrol agents and illegal immigrants were stung by bees Friday morning, and one agent and three illegals suffered fall injuries as well as stings when running from the bee swarm in the Coronado Pass area of the Huachuca Mountains, according to county authorities.

A group of about 32 illegal immigrants and three Border Patrol agents ran from a bee swarm near U.S. Forest Service Road 61, off Coronado Monument Road on the backside of the Huachuca Mountains, Fry Fire District Chief Bill Miller said.

Authorities and rescue personnel responded about 10:30 a.m.

In general, the rule for escaping an angry swarm of bees is to run directly away from them in a straight line, because after going past a particular distance from their hive they won't chase you anymore, Miller said.

The Border Patrol agents and the group of illegal immigrants suddenly found themselves to have a mutual and emergent situation involving the attacking bees, Miller said.

"I think they all fell when they were running from the bees," Miller said. Advertisement

All three agents were apparently stung, and many of the illegal immigrants, but only one of the agents and three of the illegal immigrants were injured seriously enough to merit medical transport.

One of the illegal immigrants was injured seriously enough to call for a medical transport helicopter. She had gone into anaphylactic shock because of the bee stings, and was flown to a Tucson hospital in serious condition, Miller said.

A reported fourth, more serious injury involving an elderly illegal immigrant who had suffered a heart attack, was the subject of a search by an Arizona Department of Public Safety Ranger helicopter, though no heart-attack victim was found, Miller said.

Possibly another 10 illegal immigrants in the group were unaccounted for by Border Patrol, Miller said, presumably having taken the bee swarm opportunity to flee from the Border Patrol.

The Border Patrol agent and the other two illegal border crossers who were significantly injured were taken by ambulance to Sierra Vista Regional Health Center, Miller said. "All of these guys had bee stings and fall injuries," Miller said. "A bunch of other UDAs and other agents were stung, but didn't require transport."

The scene was cleared about 1:25 p.m., Miller said. The original group of northbound border crossers consisted of about 50 people, Miller said.

U.S. Border Patrol's Tucson Sector spokesman Richard DeWitt confirmed the sting injuries involving three illegal border crossers and the agent, that happened as they were all descending the mountain, as well as their subsequent transport to the Sierra Vista hospital.

"An agent called over the radio that he and some illegals were attacked by bees," DeWitt said.

"The agent was in pretty bad shape from the stings," DeWitt said.

The spokesman declined to comment regarding the ongoing condition of the injured.

But the Fry Fire chief said no one's injuries appeared to be life threatening.

Involved in the response were U.S. Border Patrol, U.S. Park Service officers, Cochise County Sheriff's Office deputies and Sheriff's Assist Team members, Cochise County Search and Rescue volunteers, Fry Fire District and Palominas Fire Department, as well as LifeNet, Borstar and DPS helicopters.

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