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Bulldozer operator stung to death by killer bees

GeneralBulldozer operator stung to death by killer bees

CHIQUIBUL, Cayo District, Fri. Aug. 28, 2020– Roy Martinez, 74, who was a bulldozer operator of San Ignacio since he was 16 years old, and had been working for a company in a remote area deep in the Chiquibul National Park and Reserve, near the Guatemala-Belize border, died after being stung by a swarm of killer bees while he was operating a bulldozer in the area at about 3:30 yesterday afternoon.

According to reliable reports, Martinez jumped off the bulldozer and ran to escape the bees, but fell, and he was stung mercilessly. He was not found until about an hour later, in an unconscious state, by his co-workers who went looking for him.

A helicopter went to the scene to transport Martinez to the hospital, but by the time it arrived it was too late for the helicopter to fly, so Martinez was taken to the hospital by road. He arrived at the San Ignacio Hospital at about 1:30 this morning, but was declared dead on arrival.

In speaking with the media, his wife commented that the remote location of the area where he had been working and the bad condition of the road caused his very late arrival to the hospital.

Martinez is not the first member of the community to be stung to death by killer bees. On May 25, 2017, Crusita Chan, a grandmother of Kontiki, San Ignacio, went to the Arm of Love Primary School to pick up her daughter. While standing under a tree in the school yard waiting for her daughter, a gust of wind blew, agitating some bees that were nearby in a tree, causing them to swarm.

The bees attacked Chan, who tried to run, but fell, and she was stung to death. No one could help her during the swarming, but when the attack abated, Chan was rushed to the hospital, but was declared dead on arrival.

The Forestry Department has cautioned members of the public that if the killer bees are seen, they are not to disturb them, but to call the department to come and remove them.

Roy Martinez, we were told, had just gotten the job to bulldoze the area in which he had been working about a week ago, and was camping out for 2 weeks when the bees attacked him.

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