A 55-year-old woman was stung to death by a swarm of bees in Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape police said on Thursday.

Captain Johann Rheeder said the bees attacked the woman on Wednesday morning in Charlo.

She was walking near the railway line when the incident happened.

“A security guard said she heard a woman screaming. When she looked through the window she saw bees attacking [the woman].”

He said the woman fell down and died before paramedics arrived.

He said a post-mortem would be conducted to determine the cause of death.

The woman had not yet been identified by Thursday morning.

An inquest docket was opened.

– SAPA