A man aged in his fifties has died after he was stung by a swarm of wasps while gardening at his home in Cork. The man, named locally as Michael Sheehan, was cutting a hedge at his property in the county earlier this week when he accidentally disturbed a wasp nest.
The married dad-of-three sustained multiple stings and managed to make his way in to his home, where he collapsed. The emergency services were called however, when the ambulance arrived, paramedics found that Mr Sheehan was no longer conscious.
Mr Sheehan was treated at the scene but was pronounced dead before he could be transferred to hospital. A full postmortem will be carried out at Cork University Hospital.
The local Coroner has been informed and an inquest will be held in due course. It is understood that Mr Sheehan suffered an anaphylactic shock having had a serious reaction to the stings. The death is being treated as a tragic accident.
