Several devotees suffered injuries as a swarm of honey bees attacked them at the Ekvira Devi temple located near Lonavala in Pune district, police said on Thursday.
The incident occurred on Wednesday around 1pm, when hundreds of devotees were present at the temple located on a hill, an official said.
As some rituals were underway at the temple, some of the devotees burst firecrackers outside the temple as part of the New Year celebrations, he said.
"As the smoke emanating from the crackers reached the bees, it might have unsettled them and they started attacking the devotees. Soon, panic spread and people, including women and children, started running here and there to save themselves," he said.
Many of them tried to cover their faces with cloths and towels to save themselves from the bees, the officials said.
Office-bearers of the temple appealed to devotees not to panic and run away. They advised people to sit down to save themselves from the attack, he said.
Several devotees suffered injuries and swelling after being bitten by bees. Four persons officially reported their injuries to the police, an official of Lonavla Rural police station said.
Police are trying to ascertain the exact reason behind the bee attack, he said, adding that the colourful smoke of the crackers could be behind it.
Some videos of the bee attack, captured by some visitors on their mobile phones, went viral on social media platforms, the official said.
