Three people were left in a critical condition in hospital after a swarm of bees attacked a French town.
A total of 24 people were stung near Hôtel de Bordeaux in the centre of Aurillac, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, on Sunday, July 6, morning.
The attack happened between 9.30am and 10am, French authorities have confirmed.
Emergency services including firefighters and medics were called to the scene to treat victims.
Dozens were injured following the bee attack in France
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A police cordon was put in place around the area.
One victim, a 78-year-old man, was said to have suffered a cardiac arrest after being stung 25 times and is now in a stable condition.
In an update at 1pm on Sunday, French authorities confirmed the situation was "under control".
The mayor of Aurillac, Pierre Mathonier, has thanked the emergency services who responded to the incident.
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"In the face of this event whose consequences could have been more dramatic without the quick and coordinated intervention of the various public services," he said in a post to social media.
Mathonier added that "necessary measures" would need to be taken to prevent the incident happening again.
He said: "I naturally wish the 24 victims a speedy recovery.
"Of course, it will be necessary to analyse the causes of this event and take necessary measures to prevent such a situation from happening again."
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