BEES GO WILD...Attack mourners, deface corpse (LEAD STORY, MIRROR, JUNE 19, 2010)

From Kwame Asare Boadu, Obuasi

THERE was pandemonium at a funeral at Amamum near Obuasi last Tuesday, when a swarm of bees attacked the mortal remains of the deceased who was lying in state as well as the grieving family members and sympathisers.
The bees were said to have emerged from the nearby cemetery and struck in full force at the funeral grounds severely defacing the deceased and landing a family member in hospital.
 As the mourners were trapped in the blinding incident, an old woman who sat close to the body fell from shock and was rushed to hospital for treatment.
The body of the deceased, Kofi Nyarko, in his early 30s, was lying in state when the bees emerged from the cemetery and attacked it and the mourners.
Many had read superstition to the incident especially as the bees were said to have attacked only family members.
An eyewitness told The Mirror that it took the intervention of fire fighting personnel to control the bees.
According to the eyewitness, Nyarko, who lived in Accra, became ill and was sent to Obuasi some weeks ago.
He could not recover and died last Saturday so his body was sent to the morgue, awaiting burial and funeral rites.
At dawn last Tuesday, the remains of Nyarko were lying in state and people wailing when all of a sudden the bees emerged from the cemetery nearby.
According to the witness, the most surprising aspect of the incident was the selective attacks of the bees.
“Not everyone was attacked. The bees moved from one point to another, stinging people and it was surprising, “ the witness said.