An American father and son died after being stung by a swarm of hornets whereas ziplining in Southeast Asia, native officers confirmed.
Daniel Owen, 47, initially from Idaho Falls, Idaho, and his son Cooper, 15, died following the assault final month at Inexperienced Jungle Park in Laos, simply northeast of Thailand.
Phanomsay Phakan, director of the Phakan Arocavet Clinic, the place each victims have been taken to be handled, confirmed the incident befell on Wednesday, Oct. 15.
“It was very transient and rushed,” Phakan wrote in an e-mail to USA TODAY. He didn’t elaborate.
A hornet nest.
The pair have been apparently stung by a whole lot of Asian big hornets as they descended from a tree with a ziplining information on the journey resort, U.Ok. newspaper The Occasions reported.
Owen and his son have been apparently on trip within the nation after they died after being stung greater than 100 instances, the outlet reported.
USA TODAY has reached out to the Owen household and Inexperienced Jungle Park.
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Daniel Owen was the director of a faculty group in Vietnam
A U.S. Division of State spokesperson confirmed two U.S. residents died in Luang Prabang in northern Laos, Individuals reported, including, “Out of respect for the privateness of the household and family members throughout this troublesome time, we’ve got no additional remark.”
USA TODAY has reached out to the federal company.
Owen, who lived in Vietnam on the time of his demise, was the director of QSI Worldwide Faculty of Haiphong, High quality Colleges Worldwide (QSI) mentioned on its Fb web page.
“We’re deeply saddened by the sudden passing of Dan Owen,” The assertion on social media went on to say. “Dan devoted 18 years to QSI, serving in 5 completely different faculties and touching numerous lives together with his heat, management, and unwavering dedication to training.”
“He was deeply liked throughout our neighborhood and will probably be profoundly missed,” the submit continues. “Our honest condolences exit to the Owen household and all who knew and liked them.”
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What are big Asian hornets?
Large Asian hornets, the biggest hornets on the earth, attain as much as two inches lengthy and prey on bees and different bugs.
A employee displaying hornets after he used a gasoline-powered vacuum to suck up the bugs from a nest.
“They will conduct mass assaults on honey bee hives, destroying the hive in a matter of hours,” the Washington State Division of Agriculture launched in a press release on its web site after the hornets have been present in Whatcom County in 2020.
Generally dubbed “homicide hornets,” the bugs trigger dozens of deaths annually in Asia the place they’re generally present in international locations together with Japan.
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Attain her at nalund@usatoday.com and comply with her on X @nataliealund.
This text initially appeared on USA TODAY: Swarm of hornets kill father and son ziplining in Laos


