Horror as father and son killed by deadly Asian hornets after being stung 'over 100 times'

A father and his teenage son died after being attacked by Asian giant hornets (Image: Facebook)

A father and his teenage son have been killed by a swarm of deadly Asian hornets, which stung them "more than a hundred times" while ziplining on their holiday in Laos. Daniel Owen, 47, and Cooper, 15, died on October 15 after being attacked by hundreds of Asian giant hornets while they were ziplining down some tropical trees at an adventure resort.

The hornets are believed to have swarmed over the two Americans as they were descending from a tree. The pair were rushed to hospital and were believed to have been breathing when they first arrived, but both died just hours later. Neither Owen nor Cooper showed symptoms of anaphylactic shock – the allergic reaction caused when stung by wasps or hornets.

The pair were stung over '100 times' (Image: Facebook)

Phanomsay Phakan, a doctor at the Phakan Arocavet Clinic where the pair were first taken, said the pair’s bodies were “covered in red spots”.

He said: "Their whole bodies were covered in red spots. It was very, very painful. A lot of stings, more than one hundred, over the whole body.

“I thought already that it’s a very dangerous situation because I had never seen it as bad as that."

Owen was the director of one of the branches of Quality Schools International, a private school chain that serves the children of diplomats around the world.

In a statement on social media, QSI said: "We are deeply saddened by the sudden passing of Dan Owen, Director of QSI International School of Haiphong, and his son Cooper, due to a tragic accident.

"Dan dedicated 18 years to QSI, serving in five different schools and touching countless lives with his warmth, leadership, and unwavering commitment to education.

"He was deeply loved across our community and will be profoundly missed. Our sincere condolences go out to the Owen family and all who knew and loved them."

Can Asian giant hornets kill a person?

Multiple stings from Asian hornets can be fatal to anyone due to the toxicity of their venom, which can attack the nervous system and destroy tissue.

Deaths are more often a result of anaphylactic shock caused by an allergic reaction, rather than the venom's toxicity alone. They do not normally attack unless their nests are disturbed.