Johannesburg – Sixty-one children and three teachers were stung by bees at a school in Bellville, Cape Town, on Wednesday morning, paramedics said.

“Reports indicate that the children were at a school for special needs when the swarm of bees went on a rampage, stinging everything in their way,” Netcare 911 spokesperson Chris Botha said.

The children were aged between five and 10. By the time paramedics got to the school four children in a critical condition had been taken to hospital in private transport.

“Thirty-five people were treated on scene by nursing staff while 26 children were treated by paramedics before they were transported to nearby hospitals,” he said.

“The exact cause for the bees becoming aggressive is still unknown at this stage.”