"Oh my God": "Millions" of dragonflies invade popular tourist spot Misquamicut State Beach in Rhode Island USA

The UK might be braced for flying ant day but beachgoers in the USA endured an altogether more frightening experience when confronted by swarms of dragonflies. Video at the time of the onslaught shows the swarm descend on revellers enjoying the good weather on Misquamicut State Beach, in Westerly, Rhode Island.

Sunbathers soon flee the scene, amid a haze of buzzing dragonflies, which are thought to have been migrating. Jennifer Serenson caught the apocalyptic scene on film and told Storyful she had “never seen anything like this”.

The footage captured the moment the sky filled with the flying insects as someone can be heard saying “Oh my God” while children can be heard screaming at the biblical sight.

Fellow beachgoer, Helene Dombrowski, told the outlet there were “hundreds” of dragonflies at the beach when she arrived at around 9.30am - before there were “millions” at around 12.45pm. The beach is around an hour from state capital Providence, a popular location in the summer months, stretching along half a mile of coast.

However, for these unfortunate sun worshippers, it appears it was also on the flight path of these dragonflies, who typically migrate from Canada and the northern United States to the Gulf Coast, Mexico, West Indies and beyond in the late summer and early autumn.