Three men were sent to hospital on Wednesday with injuries of varying severity in separate hornet attacks in Kampong Chhnang province, officials said yesterday.

Hou Phan, chief of Rolea Ba’ier district’s Kok Sdao village, said the two men attacked in his village were seriously and slightly injured, respectively.

The men were going to burn a hornets’ nest in order to collect its larvae to eat, but stepped on a branch of the tree where the nest was, agitating the hornets and causing them to swarm.

“The victim, Moeun Ros, 28, got seriously injured, because the hornets stung him more than 10 times.

He lost consciousness twice due to a high fever; that’s why his family sent him to the hospital,” Phan said. “Another man I know, whose name is Chrunh, got slightly injured.”

“I went to visit the victims, who left the hospital this morning; they are better, but their faces and bodies are still swollen,” he added.

Kampong Chhnang town resident Thuch Bunthol, 36, also lost consciousness and was hospitalised after being stung by hornets about 10 times when he disturbed their nest while trying to cut bamboo, police said yesterday.