Father and son killed by swarm of hornets while ziplining on holiday
An American teacher and his teenage son tragically died from multiple hornet stings while ziplining in Laos. Daniel Owen, 47, and his 15-year-old son Cooper passed away on October 15 after being attacked by hundreds of what appeared to be Asian giant hornets near Luang Prabang.
Incident details
The hornets swarmed the two Americans and their guide as they tried to descend from a tree. Ziplining is an activity where participants slide through a harness along a steel cable stretched between platforms high in tropical trees.
Medical response
Phanomsay Phakan, a doctor at the Phakan Arocavet Clinic where Daniel and Cooper were initially treated, described their condition:
“Their whole bodies were covered in red spots. A lot of stings, more than 100, over the whole body. I thought already that it’s a very dangerous situation because I had never seen it as bad as that.”
Both father and son were conscious upon arrival and showed no signs of anaphylactic shock, a severe allergic reaction commonly caused by stings. They were moved to the Luang Prabang provincial hospital within an hour, where they died hours later.
About Asian giant hornets
Asian giant hornets (Vespa mandarinia) are the largest hornet species globally, distinct from Asian hornets (Vespa velutina) that have spread across Europe and the UK. In Laos, minor stings are frequent, but deaths like this are extremely rare.
Author’s summary: A rare and fatal hornet attack claimed the lives of an American father and son during a ziplining holiday in Laos, highlighting the dangers of Asian giant hornets.