Stung by bees in Borivli park, 54-yr-old dies

A 54-year-old man died on Friday while two others were hurt after being stung by bees at Veer Savarkar Garden in Borivli on Friday. The deceased man has been identified as Pankaj Shah, while the two injured were Ramanuj Shah, 32, and Merrysta Ramona, 46, who were discharged after treatment at Karuna Hospital in Borivli.

Pankaj’s relatives said that the bees have been around for more than a week but nobody paid attention.

“Around 10 am, my brother left for his usual walk in the garden and shortly after, called us saying he had been stung by bees. We took him

to the local doctor, who asked us to go to a bigger hospital. By the time we reached hospital, he was already critical. He may have had a shock after the bite, but one cannot say,” said Kirit Shah, brother of the deceased, adding that Pankaj was frail and physically-challenged. Kirit said people had seen the bees buzzing about in the park and had also brought it to the BMC notice. “The bees have been there for weeks. But nobody acted on it. At least, not yet. There are hundreds of kids and senior citizens visiting the park at any given time,” he said.Doctors at the hospital said Pankaj had to be kept in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) but died before any treatment could begin. The relatives of the deceased, however, cried foul. “We spent around Rs 22,000 in just three hours and even then we could not see him in his final moments. They just kept sending prescriptions. Even the expert who was specially called to treat him left after 10 minutes," Kirit stated. Civic officials have said after the incident was reported, the garden and insecticide department staff visited the garden and took the necessary action. The garden was evacuated while the department was at work. The park will be closed for a couple of days, it is learnt.This incident has struck fear in the heart of residents.