A TOURIST has tragically died after being attacked by a swarm of killer bees on a family trip to a bird sanctuary.

The freak death of Sandeep Purohit, 44, saw him be targeted by dozens of the dangerous insects before smashing his head on the floor.

Sandeep was visiting the Karnala Bird Sanctuary on Saturday morning with his wife and son when he was preyed on by the defensive hive.

The father, his loved ones and seven other tourists also visiting the popular attraction in the region were suddenly attacked by the swarm of bees.

Many suffered a range of painful stings including both Sandeep’s wife and son.

Officials say they were called to the summit of the towering Karnala Fort where the sanctuary sat after receiving multiple distress calls.

A member of staff on the ground at the bird sanctuary said: “At 11 am, we received a call from the fort area stating that there had been an attack and many were injured.

“It took us around 45 minutes to reach the spot. The rescue team found many with bee sting injuries and a man lying unconscious.”

Around 10 people were cowering on the ground as the aggressive bees buzzed above them.

Everyone was safely evacuated from the no-go zone except from a prone Sandeep who was laid out on the floor.

He was left unconscious after tripping and falling over in the chaos when the bees first attacked, local media said.

The fall left him with a nasty head injury as efforts to save him ultimately failed.

He was pronounced dead when he arrived at the Sub-District Hospital in Panvel along with the other stung victims.

The dad’s official cause of death is yet to be confirmed.

Authorities currently believe Sandeep may have suffered an allergic reaction which resulted in a cardiac arrest.

But Dr. Ashok Gite, the superintendent of the Panvel Sub-District Hospital, added the exact cause of death will only be known after a histopathological examination.

Blood samples are due to be sent to Sion Hospital for further analysis in the coming days.

Due to bees typically only attacking when they are provoked or threatened, investigations are set to go on into what may have caused the raving assault.

A formal complaint has also been filed with the Panvel Taluka police station, according to Senior Police Inspector Gajanan Ghadge.

In total, ten people were stung with a group of students from VJTI Engineering College among them.

Last year, a man suffered multiple organ failure and narrowly escaped death after he was stung by a giant honey bee.

The 60-year-old Somalian man was stung multiple times and arrived at hospital suffering from shortness of breath and oliguria – not being able to pee properly.

Medics noted that he had multiple red marks across this body, swelling, puffy eyes and difficulty breathing.

His pulse, blood pressure and blood sugar levels were also higher than normal, and his body temperature slightly below average. 

In the UK, between two and nine deaths due to anaphylaxis from bee or wasp stings are recorded every year, according to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE).

“Wasp stings in the UK cause twice as many deaths due to anaphylaxis as bee stings,” the institute added.

Allergy UK says a normal reaction to a bee sting – pain, swelling, redness and itching at the site of the sting – tends to last a few hours.

Meanwhile, a severe allergic reaction can strike rapidly after a sting and can involve the whole body, making you feel suddenly very ill.

You may fee dizzy, nauseated or weak, or experience stomach cramps and diarrhoea.