7 UP officers injured in attack by bees

At least seven govt officers were severely injured when a swarm of bees attacked them while they were inspecting the progress of Har Ghar Nal Yojana in Devgarh village, around 35km from UP's Lalitpur.

Additional district magistrate Rajesh Srivastava reportedly sustained over 500 bee stings. He was rushed to a hospital in Jhansi where his condition is stated to be critical. Chief development officer Kamalakant Pandey was also badly injured and is being treated at the Jhansi hospital. Pandey reportedly dropped to the ground and kept his face buried for nearly 30 minutes to protect himself. Srivastava's gunner tried to shield him but also got stung.

Villagers came wrapped in blankets to rescue the victims.

Others injured were nayab tehsildar Ghanendra Tiwari, sub-inspector Dinesh Kumar, lekhpal Suryansh, lekhpal Shashank, and a police constable who was part of the escort team. "They are stable and out of danger," said a doctor.

Sources said the group was close to Buddhist caves near Dashavatar temple ruins when the attack occurred.