.jpg)
A traffic accident occurred on the morning of June 27 on Interstate 80 in Summit County. The truck exceeded the safe speed and overturned on a winding road, causing dozens of bee hives to fall out of it. Hordes of angry bees broke free and began to sting everyone present, including first responders.
Utah Highway Patrol Lieutenant Randall Ritchie informed The Washington Post that police asked drivers of passing cars to close their windows and not stop. The driver and navigator, who were in the truck, were taken to the hospital with minor injuries and numerous bee stings.
The truck and semi-trailer contained 416 hives with 25 million insects. Rescuers had to fill the accident site with fire-extinguishing foam, which turned out to be fatal for most bees. Only about 10 percent of the bees survived, according to volunteer beekeepers who also arrived on the scene.
Some of the bees survived because they were in the depths of the debris, which the foam did not reach. Others fled to nearby sagebrush along the highway. As a result, the volunteers collected the surviving insects and distributed them to local beekeepers.
Video: twitter.com/brian_schnee
