Daniel Owen hornets: American teacher and teenage son killed by swarm of Asian hornets while ziplining on holiday in Laos
An American teacher and his teenage son have been killed by hornets while ziplining on holiday in Laos.
Daniel Owen, 47, and Cooper, 15, died on October 15 after being stung by hundreds of what appear to be Asian giant hornets, while ziplining at an eco-adventure resort near the city of Luang Prabang. The hornets swarmed over the two Americans and their guide as they struggled to descend from a tree, according to a source close to US diplomats in Laos.
Ziplining involves sliding in a harness along a steel cable between platforms built high up in the tropical trees. Phanomsay Phakan, a doctor at the Phakan Arocavet Clinic where the pair were first taken, said: “Their whole bodies were covered in red spots.
“It was very, very painful. 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.” The father and son were conscious when they arrived at the clinic and showed no symptoms of anaphylactic shock, the allergic reactions that can kill people who have been stung by bees, wasps and hornets.
They were transferred after less than an hour to the Luang Prabang provincial hospital, where they died a few hours later. Asian giant hornets (Vespa mandarinia) are the world’s largest and are distinct from Asian hornets (Vespa velutina), a species which has spread to Europe and the UK.
In Laos, minor stings are common but fatalities are rare. Laos is an increasingly popular destination both for families and for young backpackers.
Owen, from Idaho, died on, or just before, his 47th birthday. He was the director of QSI International School in Haiphong in northern Vietnam and had spent his career teaching in other international schools around the world.
A spokesman for the park said: “Green Jungle Park extends its deepest condolences to the family and friends of Daniel and Cooper Owen. Following this incident, we have reviewed all existing procedures. This event is unprecedented in our experience and, to our understanding, in Luang Prabang as well. It was an unforeseeable and extraordinary natural occurrence.”