About 100 police officers in southeastern Mexico were forced to bolt from an open-air firing range when they were attacked -- and stung -- by swarming Africanized bees, officials said Tuesday.
Some 70 officers were stung and wounded, including three seriously, during the attack in Chiapas state near the Guatemalan border on Monday.
"From the first shot (on the firing range), there was a loud buzzing noise and tons of bees began to appear, attacking everyone in sight," said civil guard official Miguel Serrano.
The barrage took place in the town of Tapachula, where the bees' aggressive reaction forced the police to seek refuge in their own training headquarters, with many suffering stings all over their bodies.
Among the more severely wounded were three female police officers who required emergency treatment at the scene, while the remaining victims were sent to a hospital in Tapachula, Serrano said.
On Tuesday, officials reported the three female officers were in stable condition while the others were out of danger.
