Man and son die after suffering hundreds of 'murder hornet' stings while ziplining in Asia
A man and his teenage son died after both were stung over 100 times by a swarm of Asian giant hornets, often called “murder hornets,” while ziplining at a lush jungle resort in Laos last month, according to reports.
Daniel Owen, a 46-year-old originally from Idaho, and his 15-year-old son Cooper, were visiting the Southeast Asian country from neighbouring Vietnam, where he is the director of an international school, when the tragic accident occurred on Oct. 15, according to The London Times.
As the father and son were making their way down a tree at Green Jungle Park, an eco-adventure resort in the northern part of the country, they were swarmed by a brood of the aggressive and territorial hornets with stingers up to six millimetres long.
Once on the ground, they were rushed to the Phakan Arocavet Clinic about 30 minutes away in Luang Prabang, where they weren’t initially exhibiting any allergic reactions to the stings, according to the local physician.
“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,” clinic physician Phanomsay Phakan told the Times.
With limited capacity at the clinic to deal with their seriousness of the situation, Phanomsay sent them to the adjacent provincial hospital for further care, according to the New York Times.
Within a few short hours, however, both were dead. Officials have yet to release details about their exact cause of death.
“It was very brief and rushed,” Phanomsay wrote in an email to USA TODAY without elaborating further.
National Post has contacted the Phanomsay and the hospital for more information.
The deaths of two American citizens in Luang Prabang were confirmed by People , with the U.S. State Department declining further comments “out of respect for the privacy of the family and loved ones during this difficult time.”
Although the precise species of hornets hasn’t been confirmed, it’s believed to be the infamous “murder hornets,” the largest known species in the world, measuring between 3.5 centimetres for the worker variety and up to five cm for the Queen, according to Canada’s Invasive Species Centre.
Beyond the length and ability to sting multiple times, what makes its stinger so dangerous is a venom that includes a several known toxins — including ones that can break down muscles and rupture blood cells — and a unique toxin that can lead to which can lead to muscle necrosis and kidney failure, according to the B.C. Island Heath.
The more stings, the greater the risk, the agency explained.
“One guidance document suggested hospital admission for any person with fifty plus stings, though severe and fatal cases often had fewer than fifty stings. Fatal toxic outcomes have been reported with as few as three stings.”
As reported by the Associated Press , the species was declared eradicated in the U.S. last year after being found in Washington State and near the Canadian border in 2019 and 2020. The Invasive Species Centre has said the insect is also considered eliminated in B.C., with no confirmed reports since 2021.
In a statement obtained by People and other outlets, the resort extended condolences to the bereaved and said it had improved its emergency response procedures, “including the evacuation process for the zipline course.”
“This event is unprecedented in our experience and, to our understanding, in Luang Prabang as well. It was an unforeseeable and extraordinary natural occurrence,” the park said.
National Post has contacted Green Jungle Park for additional comment and more information.
In a statement mourning the father and son’s death, QSI noted that the elder had worked in five different schools over his 18 years with the organization, “touching countless lives with his warmth, leadership, and unwavering commitment to education.”
“He was deeply loved across our community and will be profoundly missed,” they wrote on Facebook. “Our sincere condolences go out to the Owen family and all who knew and loved them.”
“Although I know as time will go by, I’ll get less teary eyed thinking about him and all the times outside school I saw him enjoying life with Cooper, I’ll never ever forget everything he taught me both inside and outside classroom and I’ll always miss him,” former student Anoushka Mahar commented on their post.
We would leave each other postive quotes on each other’s blackboards every day,” wrote Josh Gaines, who said he worked with Owen in Kazakhstan. “The world lost two good ones.”
National Post has contacted Owen’s family for comment.
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