An American father and son have been stung to death by a swarm of giant hornets during a holiday in Laos.
Dan Owen and Cooper, 15, were descending a tree after zip-lining at a resort near the northern city of Luang Prabang when they were attacked by the insects.
They were taken for treatment "covered in red spots" after the "very, very painful" attack, Phakan Arocavet Clinic doctor Phanomsay Phakan told The Times.
"A lot of stings, more than 100, over the whole body. I thought already that it's a very dangerous situation because I had never seen it as bad as that," he said.
The father and son arrived at the clinic conscious and did not show signs of an allergic reaction.
About an hour later, they were taken to a regional hospital where they died.
A Green Jungle Park spokesperson told the Straits Times the eco-park had reviewed its procedures.
"This event is unprecedented in our experience and, to our understanding, in Luang Prabang as well," the spokesperson said.
"It was an unforeseeable and extraordinary natural occurrence."
In Laos, hornet stings were common but deaths were not, Dr Phakan told The Times.
"I have never seen a death and I have been working more than 20 years," he said.
Mr Owen, 47, was a director at an international school in Haiphong in Vietnam.
"He was deeply loved across our community and will be profoundly missed," the school said in a social media post.
"Our sincere condolences go out to the Owen family and all who knew and loved them."
Asian giant hornets, which are also known as "murder hornets", can sting and spit highly toxic venom that causes tissue degeneration, anaphylactic shock and renal failure.
They grow to about 5 centimetres long, with stingers about 1cm, and prey on bees and other pollinators.
An entomologist told The Guardian being stung was like "having hot tacks pushed into my flesh".
