SINGAPORE: Four people were taken to Singapore General Hospital after a hornet attack near Redhill Market on the afternoon of July 10.
In response to queries, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) and Tanjong Pagar Town Council said they were alerted to the incident in Redhill Lane at about 1pm that day.
The town council said the hornets came from a hornets’ nest on a tree on the footpath between Block 78 Redhill Lane and a Shell petrol station.
It said its officers responded immediately by cordoning off the affected area and activating its pest control contractor to remove the nest.
The town council added that the nest was safely removed and the area has been made safe for public use.
An eyewitness, who gave his name only as Chen, told Chinese-language newspaper Shin Min Daily News that he was having coffee at the market when he heard someone shout that there were hornets in a tree and that an elderly man had been chased and attacked.
Another eyewitness, Mei Zhen, told Shin Min that she found a woman in her 70s anxiously fiddling with her hair at the sink in a nearby toilet.
The woman’s ears were red, swollen and bleeding, Zhen said, adding that the victim complained of headaches and dizziness.
Zhen said: “There must have been more than 10 hornets circling her head. Some even crawled out of her hair, while others flew to the ground and the toilet door.”
According to the National University Hospital’s website, hornets can inflict multiple stings, injecting a larger amount of venom per sting compared with bees or smaller wasps.
The venom of these Hymenoptera insects contains histamine, a chemical that triggers an allergic response, and melittin, which causes pain. Proteins such as phospholipase and hyaluronidase, which can be toxic to human cells, are also part of the venom.
In severe cases, symptoms may include low blood pressure, insufficient blood flow to vital organs, or airway swelling, which causes suffocation.
Tanjong Pagar Town Council advises residents to remain calm and move away from the area immediately if they encounter a hornets’ nest or aggressive hornets.
They should seek shelter inside a nearby building and avoid attempting to disturb or remove the nest, added the town council.
Anyone who has been stung should leave the area immediately and call 995 for an ambulance if they experience severe reactions or require urgent medical assistance.
The Straits Times has contacted the National Parks Board for more information.
In 2024, a hornet attack in Sungei Buloh led to five people being taken to hospital.
In a separate incident that year, a man died after he was attacked by hornets while cycling along Sembawang Park Connector. - The Straits Times/ANN
