BEES ATTACK PUPILS IN SCHOOL (PAGE 20)

A SWARM of bees last Tuesday invaded the Pentecost Preparatory School at Nsawkaw in the Tain District in the Brong Ahafo Region, stinging staff and pupils of the school.
Thirty-one of the pupils were admitted at the Nsawkaw Health Centre.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic, the nurse in charge of the health centre, Madam Cecilia Owusu, said although the situation was serious, her outfit did all it could to treat the children.
“We treated and discharged all of them” she said, adding that majority of the affected pupils were those at the crèche.
According to eyewitnesses, it took many volunteers who defied the terrible sting of the bees to rescue the victims.
They said one of the victims who sought refuge in a nearby kitchen but did not close the door was the worst affected.
It was believed that the strayed insects were a colony that was flying above the school while the pupils were on break and they suddenly descended on them.
Another information gathered by the Daily Graphic was that the bees emanated from their hive in a tree around the school after one of the pupils allegedly threw a stone at it.
The Headmaster of the school, Rev. Kwakye Ansah, said although he was not present at the time of the incident, a case of that nature had never been recorded in the area.
She described the incident as unfortunate and expressed his sympathy to the children.
Around 11.30 a.m. that fateful day, many people mostly parents, guardians, friends and other relations of the pupils rushed to the premises of Nsawkaw Health Centre to see the victims.
Most of the teachers spotted at the health centre also had bruised or swollen faces.
Fortunately for the victims, none of their bruises and swells were critical enough to be referred to a bigger hospital for treatment.
Among the departmental heads who visited the affected pupils and their families at the health centre was the Tain District Director of Education, Mr Francis Dongbetigr.
He gave the assurance that investigations would be conducted to ascertain the true source of the bees in order to prevent future occurrence.
He stated that the GES valued the lives of the pupils and therefore expressed his sympathy to the little children who were attacked by the bees.
Mr Dongbetigr thanked God that no fatality was recorded during the incident.